Choosing Between Destinies
by aznchika
Summary: Seiftis! Its been years after the Sorceress Wars, Seifer is re-admitted to Balamb Garden. Nobody wants him there, not even Quistis... Can he change her mind before it's too late...? 'Cuz once he's chosen his destiny, there's no way he can turn back.
1. Returning

Author's Note - Okay, it's about time I started a serious Seiftis. My other ones that are on hold right now are just so... weird... shall I say? I don't know, you tell me what you think of them... that is, if you have read them before. Okay, so what is this story about? Well, it's about two certain blondes who fall in love and viola, the end! Lol, just joking! You think my stories end like that? No way! Never...! There's gotta be something wrong/weird about it! Sorry folks, it's not that simple. If it were, it wouldn't be one of my stories, nor would it be a very good Seiftis... at least, I don't think ... okay, seriously, what's this story about?  
  
Seifer returns to Balamb Garden a year after the Sorceress War... nobody really believes that he's innocent from his wrong doings except Edea (of course) and... Quistis... lol. No, actually, not even Quistis believes he's innocent. Most stories that bring Seifer back into Balamb says that Quistis is the one who thinks he's not that bad and blah blah blah (for Seiftis') but not this story. In fact Quistis truly believes it was completely his fault. The only other person who believes it wasn't... is actually... Selphie. But remember, this is a SEIFTIS NOT SELFER. Sorry Seifer/Selphie fans, it's not gonna happen. Anyway, shall you read on? Oh ya, one more thing. Thought dialogue will be in [ ].  
  
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I briskly stride through the familiar hallways of what I once called home. I take a deep breath as I remember the olden days. I pass the ever- familiar fountains at the front entrance. I carefully listen as the water splashes down, followed by the neat circular ripples. It sounds almost like heaven to me. I never thought much about the fountain before... I took many things for granted. But now that I have returned, I will cherish even the simplest things.  
  
I turn my head to look at a few students muttering between themselves and I give them my ever-familiar smirk. They quickly huddle away as I hear one of them whisper to the other.  
  
"I can't believe he's back!" I hear the young female say.  
  
I smirk at the remark. [Seems like I'm already a legend here.] I thought. Of course I was. I was once the most terrifying man alive. The one who helped serve the Sorceress to the destruction of this very world. My smirk fades almost instantly.  
  
Memories creep into my mind. Actually, more like nightmares that have come to haunt my soul again. I shiver at the thoughts. I never used to shiver. Never had a reason too. But now, I shiver every time I think about my past.  
  
"It's alright dear, it wasn't your fault." I remember Matron telling me. "You were possessed. It's not your fault."  
  
I tried to remember that. I tried to convince myself that it wasn't my fault. But somehow, I couldn't. I knew it was my fault. I had willingly agreed to help the Sorceress. I was the one who had slaughtered so many innocent people. I was the one to blame.  
  
"Seifer!" Someone gasped.  
  
The voice sounded all too familiar, but I couldn't comprehend who it had belonged to. I turned my head to the right to see who had just spoke of a cursed name. Selphie. The bouncy, energetic, yellow ball of horror. I never did like her cheeriness, probably because I was rarely happy myself. She had been one of the people I have failed to kill countless times.  
  
I only glanced at her for a moment before I ignored her and continued walking down the halls to my old dorm. The one they had discarded. I knew nobody would want to live in there during my reign of terror. I knew it would be exactly as I had left it.  
  
"Seifer...?" She called out softly to me this time. For a slight second, I thought she pitied me. But I knew it wouldn't be true. Nobody pitied the Seifer Almasy.  
  
I ignored her and continued on my way. Just as I was hoping that she wouldn't, she ran up to me and walked alongside.  
  
"What do you want?" I asked showing my obvious annoyance to her. I stopped walking and turned to face her. I gave her my talk-to-me-and-die look. She didn't look one bit intimidated.  
  
She bit her lower lip. "I was just wondering if... you were staying here... for good."  
  
"Aww, you don't want me to stay here?" My every word dripping with sarcasm. "That hurts Selphie, it hurts me to know that you don't want me here." I plaed me hand on my chest with my free hand in mock hurt. My other hand held my gunblade and a bundle that had only a shirt and jeans in it.  
  
"No... I didn't mean it that way Seifer..." She replied slowly, carefully measuring her words so she wouldn't sound rude. "I just... well... you know... like... not everybody likes you here... so I thought it might be a little rough for you..." It sounded as if she sympathized me. Not that I would care if she did.  
  
"You think I don't know that?" I replied coldly. "I've had worse. And I know how to handle it myself. Now don't you have a cowboy to tame?" I asked angrily. Last time I saw, it seemed like they were pretty close.  
  
Selphie gave a hurt expression. As if my words were daggers that had pierced her heart. "I... Irvine and I and just friends." She replied and began walking away.  
  
I didn't care if they were more than that or not. For all I cared, they both could just fall down and die. I walked up to my door was just about to slide my key card in when Selphie turned around again.  
  
"If you need anything... you can come talk to me."  
  
My eyes widened slightly. [What had she meant? Did she actually forgive me?] I shrugged it off and slid the card through the scanner beside my door. Big bold, green letters flashed almost immediately after. ACCESS GRANTED. It flashed twice before new words appeared on the screen. WELCOME BACK SEIFER ALMASY. One of my eyebrows rose. [Since when did they have that?]  
  
Behind the door, a click was heard and the door slid open. I walked in and flicked the light switch on. The room brightened and I looked at my surrounding. My bed was made and my clothes still hung in my closet. I didn't own much, but I was still quite neat. An attribute that nobody knew I possessed. I just couldn't stand a messy room.  
  
The door slid behind me as I walked towards my closet. I touched one of my trench coats and smiled slightly. How I missed my room. I walked around my room, inspecting everything. Just as I thought, nothing had been touched. I dropped my bundle on the empty desk that I never used and walked into my bathroom. I pulled off my shirt and let it fall onto the cold tiled floor. I turned to the mirror and looked at my reflection.  
  
I looked so different. Like a whole new person. My hair was longer than I had imagined, and I had grown a blonde mustache and beard. My cheekbones were nearly visible, and my once muscular chest looked small and flimsy.  
  
Quickly turning my gaze away from the mirror, afraid to see how much I have changed, I slipped off my jeans and stepped in to the shower. I twisted the faucet and let the hot water tickle my face. It seemed forever since I had taken a shower, and I just wanted to stay in here forever. I grabbed the bottle of shampoo and began shampooing my hair. My hair felt gross, as if muck was in it. I had to shampoo it three times before I was satisfied with the feeling. After that, I worked the soap on my body and let it laver into my skin.  
  
After a few minutes, I turned off the water and stepped back onto the cold floor. I grabbed a towel off rack and ruffled it in my hair, drying it slightly. Then I wrapped the towel around my waist and proceeded to the mirror. I opened the mirror and grabbed my shaver and shaving cream out. Carefully shaving off the unwanted facial hair. When I was done and happy of my appearance, I stood there wondering what to do with my hair. [Should I cut it myself?] I knew I didn't want to do that, I would probably ruin it. [Maybe I should leave it as is for now and go to a salon later. But who would want to cut a traitor's hair?] Not caring anymore, I slicked it back in an unusual fashion for me. I looked somewhat different... more elegant I suppose. [Maybe it looks better this way?] I thought before I stepped out of my bathroom and towards my closet.  
  
I grabbed a black tee shirt and pulled it over my head. Just a year ago, it was tight on me and showed off my muscles, now it seemed like it draped over me. I pulled out a pair of black boxers and put them on as well as some blue jeans. I didn't usually wear this assemble, as I always had on my trench coat, but today, I didn't feel like putting that on either.  
  
I looked around my dorm one last time before I headed to Cid's office.  
  
* * *  
  
(Selphie)  
  
I walked towards the cafeteria slowly, thinking about the last person I thought I would be thinking of. [Seifer. He seemed so different now. His unshaven face, his hair longer than usual, and his attire... he didn't wear his trench coat. And when I looked him in the eye, he had emotions... he seemed hurt... or disappointed. Not the typical emotions you see from Seifer.]  
  
"If you need anything... you can come talk to me." I had said that to him. [Why did I say that? Did I feel that he needed someone to talk to? But he wouldn't talk to me... would he? He didn't seem to want to talk to me before... what makes me think he would later?]  
  
"Hey Selph!" Zell waved at me as I stepped into the cafeteria. Zell already got his food and was munching on it already. Hot dogs. For once he got them.  
  
"Hey Zell!" I beamed as I bounced towards the table, trying to look as normal as possible.  
  
He was sitting alone. No Squall. No Rinoa. No Quistis. And no... Irvine.  
  
"Whatcha doing here all alone?" I asked cheerfully.  
  
"Eefing." He replied with a mouthful of hotdogs in his mouth.  
  
"How come you're eating by yourself? Where's everyone else?"  
  
Zell swallowed and continued talking. "Squall and Quistis are talking to Cid, I have no idea where Rinoa is, and Irvine probably in the classroom."  
  
[Flirting with another girl probably.] I thought angrily. "Oh." I replied. I opened my mouth to speak, but closed it immediately. I wanted to tell him that Seifer was back, but I knew he wouldn't be at all happy. I didn't know how to tell Zell without upsetting him.  
  
"Faf frong?" He asked with hotdog pieces rolling around in his mouth.  
  
I bit my lip. [Was I going to tell him?] "I saw Seifer today."  
  
I knew it was the wrong thing to do right after I said those words because Zell began choking. I got up and ran behind him, patting his back, trying to help the food slide down his throat. Zell coughed and some pieces of hotdog flew out of his mouth and onto the table.  
  
"Zell you okay? I'm so sorry!" I tried to fix my mistake. But I didn't know how.  
  
He grabbed a cup of water and gulped it down. After a short while, he was finally breathing properly again. However, his breaths were uneven, and loud. I knew that could only mean one thing. He was terribly angry.  
  
"WHAT?!" he shouted, practically screaming. "I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY LET THAT BASTARD BACK!"  
  
"Calm down Zell!" I tried comforting him. "There are junior classmen here!"  
  
"I don't care!" The words came seething out his clench teeth. "I'm going to talk to Cid about this." He pushed me aside and stormed off.  
  
I bit my lower lip again and ran after him.  
  
* * *  
  
(Quistis)  
  
"You can't be serious!" Squall shouted as he slammed his fist into Headmaster Cid's desk. "How could you let him back after all he's done to us?!"  
  
The doors suddenly flung open revealing a smirking Seifer. He looked different from the last time I had seen him. He looked thinner, and had longer hair that he slicked back. He also ditched his trench coat. Something I could never imagine him doing.  
  
"It's great to see you too, Puberty boy." He strode in and sat down on one of the chairs. As if nothing in the world could ever destroy his ego.  
  
[His attitude never changed]. My fists clenched tightly together until my knuckles turned white. I despised that man. I hated him with all my soul. Not only did he make me lose my Instructor's license, he also tried to kill me a couple times. I clenched my teeth tightly, trying not to say anything rude to him.  
  
"Instructor, you haven't changed one bit." His eyes scanned me as if he were checking me out.  
  
"I'm not an instructor anymore Seifer." I replied sternly. I hated to even have to see that man.  
  
"Seifer, get out of here! You're not wanted here!" Squall shouted at Seifer. He grabbed his gunblade tightly and held it at Seifer's throat.  
  
Seifer didn't even seem to care. In fact, he yawned.  
  
"Squall, lower your weapon immediately!" Cid ordered. Squall slowly and quite reluctantly lowered his gunblade.  
  
"Headmaster, please tell us what possessed you to let Seifer back here." I said his name as if it were acid itself.  
  
"My, my Instructor. By the sound of it, it almost seems like you don't want me here." He smirked at me.  
  
I didn't look at him, but I saw it through the corner of my eye. I could even picture it in my head. His arrogance, his cockiness. His damned smirk. I hated it. Absolutely hated it.  
  
"She's not the only one who doesn't want you here!" Squall shouted at him again. Cid had to push him away from Seifer and into one of the seats.  
  
"I told you before Seifer, I'm no longer your Instructor." [All thanks to you I'm not even an Instructor anymore.] I silently added.  
  
"We aren't here to argue!" Cid finally said. "I want to let you two know," He turned to face Squall and I. "that Seifer is here for good... at least for now." Headmaster Cid mumbled the last part. But we all heard it quite clearly.  
  
This was also just the most perfect time for Zell to storm in. Selphie followed him shortly after. Good, now that all of us here don't want Seifer back, Headmaster's bound to tell him to leave.  
  
"You!" Zell hissed at Seifer.  
  
"Chickenwuss." Seifer replied, seemingly to say, 'I have acknowledged your presence.'  
  
"Get out of Balamb before I beat you to a bloody pulp!" Zell waved his fists in the air and nearly punched him, but Selphie managed to pull him back just before he hit Seifer in the nose. Seifer didn't even move. He only raised a blonde eyebrow at the whole scene.  
  
"Zell! Calm down!" Selphie shouted, struggling to pull Zell away. Neither Squall nor I helped her. In fact, I bet we both were thinking the same thing. [Punch that bastard! Punch him good Zell!]  
  
"Zell! Behave yourself! You know better than to barge into my office without being called!" Cid scorned as if he were talking to a little five- year-old who misbehaved himself.  
  
"Headmaster, I cannot tolerate that this lap dog is here at Balamb! What if he goes on a killing rampage again?!" Zell stopped trying to punch Seifer and eyed the Headmaster angrily.  
  
"Shut up Chickenwuss. You cannot decide whether I can come back or not." Seifer glared at Zell. [So that was his weakness right now. Being called a lap dog.] I nearly smiled at the thought of tormenting him with his weakness.  
  
"Zell, calm down, I know how you feel. But punching him won't solve anything." Squall finally said in the tone that he used to have. The one he used before he met Rinoa. The one I always tried to loosen up, but failed to.  
  
Zell pushed Selphie aside and sat down beside me. His fist was still curled up and ready to strike. Selphie sat beside him, probably trying to stop him from attacking Seifer again. [ Too bad. I would have been so happy to see that bastard get hit in the face.]  
  
Cid sighed. "Like I said before, Seifer is here for good."  
  
Without another word, Zell stormed out, slamming the doors behind him. Selphie was about to run after him, but decided not to. Cid ignored the rude outburst and continued talking.  
  
"He'll be taking the SeeD exam again... but if he fails this time..." Cid turned to face Seifer. "Even I can't help him."  
  
"Don't worry Headmaster, I don't plan to use anymore help from you." Seifer smirked again. That damn arrogant smirk.  
  
"Let's hope." Cid muttered.  
  
To the left of me, I could hear Squall muttering too. "Let's hope not."  
  
"Squall, as Commander, I was hoping you two would put aside your differences and become mutual to each other. Once the Garden sees the Commander forgiving Seifer, they will follow."  
  
"I'm sorry Headmaster, I don't think that is possible." Squall replied just after Cid had finished speaking.  
  
"You'll have too. This is an order." Cid said in a strict manner. Squall didn't say another word, but I knew deep down inside, he was wishing Seifer would just burn in hell.  
  
"And Quistis... I know you're not an Instructor, but I would like you to tutor Seifer until the SeeD exam."  
  
"Sir?!" My eyes widened in shock. There was no way I could handle this lap dog again.  
  
"Quistis... you're the only one that won't be afraid to teach him." Cid whispered into my ear.  
  
I was in disbelief. [How could the Headmaster to do this to me. Just when I think my life couldn't get any worse after losing Squall to that bitch, now I have to handle Seifer?!] I frowned and turned my head away.  
  
"Looks like you're my Instructor again... Instructor." Seifer said. I could just picture his damned smirk in my head already. [This is not real.] I tried telling myself. [This is all a nightmare.]  
  
"Sir?" Selphie spoke out in an unusually soft voice. "Is there anything I can do?"  
  
Cid stroked his chin, thinking for a moment before he spoke. "Indeed there is. I want you to watch over Seifer."  
  
"Sure thing!" Selphie beamed as she saluted him. [What an unusual girl.] I thought. [Normally, nobody would want to go near that traitor...]  
  
"Well, then you all are dismissed." Cid waved his hand to dismiss us. "Oh Seifer, your private classes with Miss Trepe begins tomorrow."  
  
Squall was the first to leave, as he walked past Seifer, he hissed at him.  
  
"I'll be watching you Almasy. One wrong move, and I'm gonna get you outta here before you can say Triple Triad."  
  
I was the next one out. I didn't say anything to him, nor did I look at him. I didn't want to talk to him more than necessary. In the corner of my eye, I saw Selphie walk up to him and whisper something in his ear, before bouncing out of the office like her usual energetic force. A part of me wanted to know what she said to him, but the other part of me couldn't care less. [Why did I want to know anyway? I don't even care about that... that... bastard!] I asked myself, unsure of the answer.  
  
* * *  
  
(Seifer)  
  
I strode out of the office like I normally would have, but this time, I had different emotions. I thought Quistis would be one of the few who wouldn't mind me being back at the Garden. She seemed to be the more sensible one. But as I sat there listening to what everyone had to say, I could tell she hated me beyond anything else. I knew she despised me. One thing that surprised me the most was what Selphie whispered to me before she left.  
  
"Don't worry. I believe you're innocent." I replayed those words in my head. [Was she the only one who actually believed that?] I shook my head, as if to shake away the odd feeling I felt. Even I didn't believe that I was innocent.  
  
I caught a glimpse of Xu glaring at me as I walked towards the elevator. She always had this thing against me, but I could care less, I didn't need her anyway. Selphie was patiently waiting for the elevator while swaying forwards and backwards on her feet. She began humming a familiar tune, but I couldn't make out or think of what it was. It looked like Quistis and Squall had already gone down.  
  
The elevator 'dinged' and the doors slid open. Selphie walked in and I followed. She pressed the button and smiled at me.  
  
"Looks like we'll have to be friends now!" She beamed in her usual cheery mode. Strangely, I didn't seem to mind it like I used to.  
  
"Whatever." I replied, not caring, and not wanting to care.  
  
"Aw, come on! Don't be like Squall! I know you can say more than 'whatever'! Sorta makes you wonder if Squall might be a valley boy!" She joked.  
  
Just then, I did the most bizarre thing. I chuckled slightly. I didn't realize I had done that until I saw Selphie's bright brown eyes staring at me. I quickly cleared my throat as if to make it sound like it was more of a cough. But she saw through my façade.  
  
"See! You are better than Squall! I knew it!" She smiled happily as the doors slid open.  
  
I wanted to smile at her. I wanted to show some emotion. It was strange... I had never felt this way before... maybe Selphie was here to help me...  
  
"Well, I'll see you in the cafeteria later, hopefully!" She waved at me before walking off in her own direction.  
  
I looked at her retreating figure for a moment and wondered if there was hope for me in this world. [Maybe it won't be all that bad... with Selphie around...] Then I laughed. [What in the world am I thinking? I must have gone insane!]  
  
I stopped laughing at myself and headed to the Training Center. It was about time I do some training again.  
  
* * *  
  
Stepping into the Training Center brought back memories to me. I remember how I was so intimidated the first time I entered here. It seemed like ages ago. I remember exactly how it felt.  
  
I always wanted to be different than everyone else. I wanted to be unique. Little did I know, I would become so different from everyone. When I first entered the Garden, I wanted to be better than everyone. That's probably why I became so arrogant. I entered the Training almost immediately after I could. I just wanted to be stronger everyone. But the moment I stepped, I was afraid.  
  
[What if I died here? Or went unconscious? Everyone would laugh at me!] I would say to myself. Eventually, I sorted out my feelings and entered it. It was because of Squall. He was the only other gunblade specialist and I knew I didn't want him to outshine me. However, in the end, he always did.  
  
I remember when Squall and I had that little 'spar' that one day. I didn't want him to beat me. So I cast a fire spell on him and attacked him while he was down. A dirty move, for a dirty guy. I didn't care at the time. I just wanted to beat him. I left him a permanent scar... but he gave me one back too.  
  
Afterwards, I thought I was stronger. He needed to go to the Infirmary, while I, just went back to my dorm. Quistis went to talk to him... I suppose comfort him. She didn't do that to me. I felt a little hurt at that time... and wondered why nobody would see how I was.  
  
[Because you're an arrogant bastard.] I would tell myself. Every time I told myself that, I got angrier. I hated the world the then, no wonder I would later try to destroy it.  
  
The SeeD exam. I failed it. It wasn't a surprise to anyone but me. I was so damn sure that I could pass. After all, I was the most skilled there. I was even better than Squall. I knew it. He knew it. Everyone knew it. Yet I still failed. Quistis didn't seem at all concerned with me failing, she however, praised Squall when he passed. I began hating her.  
  
When Rinoa went for Squall, I began hating her as well. [How dare she choose that Puberty boy over me?] I would scream in my head every time I saw them together. Maybe it was because of Rinoa that I grew weak. So weak, that I left Squall defeat countless times. I know I could have beat him... I know I could of. But every time, before the fatal blow to him, I would remember Rinoa. How she chose him over me. I would remember Quistis. How she favored him over me. I would remember Zell. How he was so friendly with him. Selphie and Irvine too. How they respected him.  
  
It was then, when I had these thoughts that Squall would take advantage and attack me before my thoughts were clear. That is how I would be defeated, numerous times. I hated myself so much. I hated the world. I would tell myself it was just a tester... I had to... no, I would defeat them in the end. But I didn't...  
  
"It's Seifer!" A young male cadet gasped as he was exiting the Training Center.  
  
That brought me back to reality. I glared at him, and he quickly scurried off. Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the Training Center, ready to take on anything. Just as I stepped into a clearing, a Wendigo raced towards me.  
  
[Heh, must have picked up some new monsters here.] I thought as I held out my gunblade. The beast roared and tried to attack me. I just barely managed to jump out of the way. I aimed my gunblade and fired at the beast. It hit the Wendigo in the chest, making it holler in pain. I smirked, but it was a little too soon. The creature threw one of its arm at me, hitting me in the face, and causing me to fly a few feet away. I quickly got up and wiped the blood away from the side of my mouth. I looked at the blood on my hand and smirked. I charged towards the beast and thrust my gunblade right through its tough skin. It hollered loudly before falling down, never to get up again.  
  
[You can't defeat the Seifer Almasy that easily.]  
  
"Very impressive Seifer." An all too familiar voice behind me said.  
  
I turned around to face my speaker. It was her. She had long raven colored hair that flowed down to her waist. Her blue duster seemed to flutter behind her when she walked. She gripped her Shooting Star tightly and walked up to me.  
  
"Rinoa. Long time no see."  
  
"Cut the casualty, Seifer. You don't belong here." She looked me right in the eye.  
  
She used to do that a lot to me before. But they were of love or care. Now it was only hate.  
  
"It hurts me to hear you like that Rinoa." I said very sarcastically. It seems like I've said things with sarcasm so many times today. Only this time, it actually did hurt a little. Rinoa used to be my world, and I was perfectly happy with that. She didn't know that she meant everything to me, but when chose Squall, it was like a part of me died forever.  
  
"Shut up Seifer." She held her Shooting Star threateningly, as if to challenge me to a duel. "Why are you here? Do you wish to wreck more havoc? Or do you just enjoy being a fukkin' bastard?"  
  
"You cut me real deep. Right here." I drew a line across my heart. I had said it quite teasingly, but deep down, it was all too real.  
  
"I said 'shut up' Seifer." She threw her weapon at me, but I easily deflected. Her Shooting Star twirled back towards her. "Why won't you die?" She spat out the words like venom.  
  
[Why don't you love me...?] I asked her in my head. "Rinoa stop." I deflected another attack from Rinoa. She continued throwing her weapon at me, but each time I easily deflected it. I began to yawn. This was getting nowhere.  
  
"Fira!" She cast the spell on me.  
  
At first, it felt like nothing, then my body began to get hotter and hotter, and soon it felt like I was burning. I wanted to scream out in pain. It almost felt like my skin was turning all black and charred, I was in pain. But I held onto the only pride that I had left and took it in like a man,  
  
"Is that all you could do?" I managed to choke out after the burning feeling left. I was still in pain, but at least I couldn't feel any more heat.  
  
"Like I said before Seifer, you don't belong here!" She screamed as she threw her weapon once more. Again, I dodged it, only this time, I barely managed.  
  
"Rinoa, I didn't want to hurt you, but you give me no choice." I ran towards her, with my gunblade to the side, ready to strike.  
  
"You hurt me before, and I managed to survive. What makes you think I won't this time?" She hurled her Shooting Star at me.  
  
I swung my gunblade at it roughly, causing it to fly into one of the trees and get stuck in it. Rinoa looked at me in horror. She probably didn't realize how much trouble she was in. I wasn't the one who was going to attack her, but behind her was a Ruby Dragon, just about to swipe it's claw at her unsuspecting form.  
  
I raced as fast as I could to her. She tried to dodge me, by going backwards toward the Ruby Dragon, but I was too quick for her. I managed to push her to the side, however, I didn't have enough time to move myself. The dragon dug its claw deep into my chest. I howled in pain.  
  
In the corner of my eye, I saw Rinoa run. Not to her Shooting Star, but out of the Training Center. [That bitch.] She was going to let me die. The dragon was about to swipe at me again, but I rolled over, evading the attack just inches from my head. I pointed my gunblade at it and fired. It got hit in the chest, but it didn't seem to notice.  
  
"Fukk." I swore, closing my eyes. The pain in my chest was too overwhelming. I didn't have the strength to move my arm anymore. [Was I destined to die here?] I thought, waiting for the worse.  
  
"Slots!" I vaguely heard someone yell.  
  
I thought I was done for, but when I opened my eyes, I saw the Ruby Dragon and myself in a field of flowers. [Could this be... heaven?] I asked myself. [I don't deserve to be here...] I was just about to close my eyes again, as the scenery faded back into the Training Center, until I heard someone call my name again.  
  
"Seifer! Seifer! Wake up! Don't fall asleep now!" I recognized the voice. It could only belong to one person. That little ball of energetic horror. My eyelids closed just in time to see Selphie's face gazing at me.  
  
* * *  
  
(Selphie)  
  
"Oh, you can't die Seifer! Not now, not after how hard you worked to get back here!" I exclaimed as I paced around the waiting room of the Infirmary.  
  
"Selphie, that... that... traitor tried killing me!" Rinoa argued about the ten millionth time.  
  
Squall held her tightly and protectively, trying to calm her down.  
  
"Hush Rinoa..." I could hear him whispering into her ear.  
  
"That bastard deserves to die!" Rinoa continued. "Squally... he's not supposed to be here! Why is he still here?! Can't you talk to Cid about this?"  
  
"Rinoa, believe me, I already tried. But Cid just won't listen to me. But I'm sure he'll start listening once he hears that, the bastard tried killing you. Don't worry, I'll do whatever I can to get him out of here." Squall tried to reassure her.  
  
I didn't know what to believe. But I was pretty sure Seifer didn't try to kill her. [Seifer was being attacked by a Ruby Dragon... I know Seifer could have easily defeated it.] I said to myself, trying to recapture every little detail of what might have happened. [Just before I went into the Training Center, I saw Rinoa dart out of there. Either, Seifer did try to kill her and she escaped, or he was trying to save her, and got attacked himself, and then she ran out telling a lie.]  
  
"Rinoa, what happened in the Training Center?" I asked her suspiciously. I liked playing detective, but this time it was serious.  
  
"What? What are you talking about?" Rinoa asked me, her eyes were wide open in shock.  
  
"Selphie, what ARE you talking about? Rinoa was in her dorm... and that's probably when Seifer tried attacking her. When she ran, he followed her, and lost her and probably thought she ran into the Training Center where a Ruby Dragon attacked him. Isn't that right?" He asked Rinoa, brushing away a strand of her hair from her eyes.  
  
She was just about to nod when I spoke out. "I was the one who saved Seifer. I saw Rinoa run out of there. She must have been in there when Seifer was." I said quite accusingly.  
  
"Are you trying to say that Rinoa is lying?!" Squall stood up from his seat. I can't believe you Selphie. You're siding with a lap dog instead of your friends."  
  
"Squall, I didn't mean it that way. I just said that I saw her running out."  
  
"You're accusing her of nearly killing Seifer."  
  
"Squall..." I began, but got cut off.  
  
"That's Commander to you."  
  
I gritted my teeth. I did not want to ruin our friendship over this, but Squall just wouldn't believe that Seifer might have been innocent. "Commander," I said the word slowly and painfully. "I saw Rinoa's Shooting Star stuck on one of those trees in there. She MUST have been in there."  
  
Squall turned to Rinoa. "Rinoa, tell us what actually happened."  
  
She bit her lower lip and then began talking. "Well, I was in there training, when I saw Seifer. He said some rude comments to me and I got a little mad. So I threw my Shooting Star at him, and he deflected it into one of those trees. Then he came charging at me, but luckily a Ruby Dragon was on my side and attacked him. So I took this initiative and ran."  
  
I didn't know whether to believe her or not, but I knew Squall believed every single word she said. I would just have to ask Seifer later when he woke up to find out who was lying.  
  
"He's awake now." Dr. Kadowaki said as she stepped out of his room, pulling off those doctor gloves. "You may go in a see him if you wish."  
  
Squall was the first one up and in there. Everyone could hear what he was saying to Seifer.  
  
"Look bastard, I know you tried killing Rinoa, and you're gonna pay for that with your life. I'll see to it myself that you'll be gone from Balamb forever." Without waiting for Seifer to say a word, he stormed out of the Infirmary, probably towards Cid's office. Rinoa quickly followed him.  
  
I gave out a loud sigh and then walked into Seifer's room. It wasn't a big room, and it was so plain. The walls were all white, and there was a little window with white curtains to the side of the room. Even the bed sheet, blanket, medicine table thing, and the one chair were completely white. It was so dull. I didn't like it one bit.  
  
I grabbed the chair and pulled it beside his bed and sat down.  
  
"Hey Seifer." I said, trying to sound like my usual cheery self.  
  
He didn't look at me.  
  
"So you feeling better now?" I asked, trying to create conversation.  
  
He didn't reply.  
  
"Must hurt to be slashed on the chest like that." I continued my one-sided conversation.  
  
He finally spoke. "You didn't have to do that."  
  
"Do what?" I asked, quite confused.  
  
"Save me."  
  
"Oh that?" I laughed. "I have to! That's what friends for each other!" He looked at me, and I smiled back.  
  
"I'm not your friend." He replied coldly.  
  
"Hey! You can't decide who I want to be friends with! It's my own decision!" I argued. "Besides, you would have done the same for me right?" I was unsure of my question. He probably wouldn't have, but it felt like the right thing to say.  
  
He didn't reply. He turned his head away from me again.  
  
"You know, this room is pretty dull..." I began, trying to hint that I wanted to decorate it.  
  
"I like it dull." He replied in his monotone.  
  
"No you don't!"  
  
"You can't decide what I like, that is my own decision." He said turning to face me once again.  
  
I opened my eyes widely, in shock. I didn't think he would tease me like that. I opened my mouth to say something, which I didn't know what to say, but Seifer did another bizarre thing again. He chuckled.  
  
"You're alright kid." He gave a weak smile to me. It looked as if it were a forced smile, or he was unfamiliar with this action.  
  
I smiled brightly at him. "See! That's the spirit! You know, I always said to myself that whenever I'm sick or sad or hurt or anything, it's better to be smiling and laughing. You'll heal faster that way! You should try it more often!"  
  
"Maybe I should..." he turned to face the ceiling, and closed his eyes.  
  
"You know, I should let you rest shouldn't I?" I bounced out of my seat and exited the Infirmary. [Maybe Seifer's not all bad.]  
  
* * *  
  
(Squall)  
  
"Headmaster, I don't believe this! You can't possibly let him back! He tried to kill Rinoa!" I screamed at Cid.  
  
I stormed into his office immediately after I yelled at Seifer. Rinoa was behind me, following me. It gave me a sense of security, having someone to believe in you. I didn't like that in Rinoa before. In fact, at first I thought she was a total whiny bitch. But after getting to know her more, I realize she isn't all that bad. She made me open up to the world a little more. She was like an angel sent down to me, and this angel would never leave.  
  
"What? What is going on?" Cid asked, as he turned his chair to face me. He pushed his glasses up from sliding down the bridge of his nose.  
  
"That bastard tried killing Rinoa!" I repeated, angrier than before.  
  
"Squall, watch your language. Rinoa is this true?" Matron stood beside the Headmaster and questioned her.  
  
"Yes..." Rinoa spoke out meekly from behind me.  
  
"See! I can't believe you let him back Headmaster!" I shouted at him again.  
  
"Cid did not accept him back Squall, it was I." Matron said gently, pushing me lightly on the shoulder to sit down.  
  
I obeyed and sat down, though my blood was still boiling from within me. "Matron, I don't understand. How could you let him back after what he's done to us?" I tried to sound calm, but I knew it wasn't working.  
  
"He was possessed my child. I was possessed. How is it fair that you forgive me, and not him? He is my child as well." Matron continued.  
  
"Matron, he is different from you! How can you compare him to you?"  
  
"Child, both he and I were possessed. Both he and I killed innocent people. Both he and I tried to harm you, why is it that you cannot forgive him?" Matron tried to reason with me, but it wasn't working.  
  
"Matron, he tried killing Rinoa just before! How can you possible think that I could forgive a lap dog such as himself?! I'm the only one that does not want him, Matron. Everyone doesn't want him here! Not Rinoa, not Quistis, not Zell. Nobody." I argued. I wasn't going to list Irvine, because I hadn't talked to him lately and he didn't seem to care one way or another, and for sure I was not going to say Selphie because I knew, somehow, for some odd reason, she had forgiven Seifer already. I would never be able to understand why.  
  
"Tried killing Rinoa?" Matron seemed to question. "It must be all a mistake. A misunderstanding."  
  
"Misunderstanding?!" I practically screamed. I never used to shout or even raise my voice a bit, but Rinoa helped me feel more emotions. Happiness, and even anger. "How can killing someone be a misunderstanding?"  
  
"I'll talk to him myself, Squall. I will decide whether or not he will stay. You are dismissed Squall. And please, I do not wish to see anymore of this outbursts." Matron rubbed her temples as if she had a terrible headache.  
  
"Matron..." I tried to continue, but Cid stopped me.  
  
"You are dismissed Squall, Rinoa." He didn't sound too happy either, but I didn't care.  
  
All I wanted was to get that bastard out of this Garden and back to where he belonged to; hell.  
  
Angrily, I stood up and stormed out the door, Rinoa following closely behind. I was stopped, however, right before I reached the elevators. Xu pushed me back.  
  
"Commander, I understand how you feel," she began. "but if you really want Seifer to be gone, she shouldn't explode like that. In fact, by doing so, you're only provoking Headmaster Cid, and Headmistress Edea to want him to stay. You must keep your anger inside... and then, one wrong move from Seifer, and poof, he'll be gone." She snapped her fingers in the air and smiled.  
  
[Maybe she was right... that way, it won't look like I'm the bad guy, but actually Seifer.] I smiled back at her. "I'll keep that in mind Xu, thank you."  
  
"No problem Commander, I only wish to help out the Garden." She returned back to her desk and began filing some files.  
  
"You think that's actually going to work?" Rinoa asked me. "What if he knows that we're trying to trap him like that?"  
  
"He won't. Seifer's too predictable. I'll see to it that Quistis gives him a hard time when tutoring him, and he's bound to blow up in her face. If not, then failing the SeeD exam again is bound to kick him out for good."  
  
"We'll be stuck with him for a long, agonizing month though..." Rinoa said matter-of-factly.  
  
"Yes, but it'll all be worth it." I smiled at her and entered the elevator. "He'll never step foot in the garden ever again."  
  
* * *  
  
(Quistis)  
  
"Is it true? Is it true that the Seifer Almasy is back?" A tall brown haired man questioned me.  
  
He had long brown hair, tied up into a ponytail, and wore a beige trench coat. Perched on his head, was a cowboy hat, tipped down slightly, covering one of his eyes. He leaned on his sniper, beside the doorway.  
  
I smiled at him. "Unfortunately true." I continued my work.  
  
I was looking over some of the graded papers from Instructor number 26, Kianne Lee. She was a new instructor, and Headmaster wanted me to make sure she was doing her job properly. I didn't understand him one bit. If he wishes for me to check over other instructor's works, why not just give me back my damn Instructor's license back?  
  
"Oh." Was his one word response.  
  
"You don't seem at all concerned, Irvine." I said, looking up at the cowboy.  
  
"Can't be that much. Didn't really know the guy. Sure he tried killing me a few times, but other than that, don't know anything else 'bout him."  
  
"You're lucky. You wouldn't want to know anything else." I resumed checking the papers. So far, they were all correct. Kianne Lee was a nice Asian girl, about 23 years old. Although sometimes she seems a lot younger than that. I guess she was a little like Selphie, but I didn't like her one bit. Not that she wasn't nice to me or anything, but I guess, I am just jealous that she got to be Instructor instead of myself. "So how are you and Selphie? Did you two rekindle yet?"  
  
Selphie and Irvine did go out after all the Sorceress bit, but they broke up shortly after. Apparently, Irvine was cheating on her. Or so, she said.  
  
"No... not yet. I don't think she's willing to forgive me." I took off his hat and placed in on his chest.  
  
"Or are you not trying hard enough?"  
  
"No, no. That's not it. I've tried everything. I tried begging on my knees, I tried sending her millions of daisies, I've tried decorating the Quad in her honor, heck, I even tried not looking at other girls!" he sounded really depressed. He really did like Selphie, it's just that he couldn't give up his flirting ways.  
  
"I'm sorry Irvine. I've tried talking to Selphie about it, but she just wouldn't listen. You know her. If she doesn't like it, she either ignores it, or pretends she doesn't care." I took off my glasses and pinched the bridge of my nose. All these papers were giving me a headache.  
  
"It's alright Quistis. If I want her back, I have to prove to her that I do. And in order to do that, I can't get any help from my friends." He sat down at one of the desks in front of me.  
  
"True, true." I began packing the papers away. I would call it quits today. Besides, I had to get ready for the tough day tomorrow... with that traitor.  
  
"Quistis, I didn't come here to talk about Seifer or Selphie. I wanted to tell you that Zell and I are going on a SeeD mission tomorrow."  
  
"Oh really? Where to?" I stretched my arms out.  
  
"Something happened near Galbadia or something...dunno. I get the mission briefing tomorrow. And... I was just wondering if you could do me a favor."  
  
"Sure, what is it?" I began rubbing my eyes. It was only 7pm and I was getting sleepy.  
  
"I want you to look after Selphie for me... you know, I'm just a little worried that Seifer might do something to her... so can you?"  
  
I laughed. "So you didn't come here to talk about Selphie now did you?" Irvine blushed slightly. "Just playing you... of course I will. I would have anyway, whether you asked me or not." [There's no way I can trust Seifer when Selphie has to watch him.] But I wasn't going to tell Irvine that she'd been assigned to that. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to go on his own mission.  
  
"Thanks Quistis, you're the best."  
  
* * *  
  
(Seifer)  
  
I woke up late at night. The clock on the wall read something that I couldn't make out. It was so dark in this room, and I felt alone. I moved slightly, to avoid my arms, legs, or body getting numb, but when I tried moving my left arm, I felt a weight on it. I groaned slightly as it pained me in the chest.  
  
The weight suddenly moved and a soft whimper was heard.  
  
"Oh..." A feminine voice said. Despite the dark, I could make out the girl was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Oh! You're awake!" She said, cheerfully. I could only mean one person... Selphie.  
  
The lights suddenly flicked on, which caused me to close my eyes again. When my eyes slowly adjusted to the light, I opened them again. I could finally make out what time it was. 11:47pm. Right under the clock was a little banner that read, in big colorful bold letters, GET WELL SOON! Surrounding it were ribbons and streamers of all sorts of colors. I turned my head to look at the medicine desk and saw it was filled with flowers in vases and a bunch of helium balloons were taped to one of the corners. I pushed myself up and leaned against the back of the bed and re-examined the room. I couldn't believe Selphie had done that. I turned to face her, and saw her with a big smile, probably quite happy with her job.  
  
"How do you like it?" She jumped back to the seat.  
  
"Why'd you do all this?" I asked, reaching for a glass of water, but Selphie helped me pour it and handed it to me.  
  
"Well, when you're happier, you heal faster. And when you're room is all bright and cheery, you'll be happier!" She beamed with joy. "So how do you like it?"  
  
"It's... different." I took a sip of the water. For some odd reason, it tasted so good. It moistened my mouth and felt like heaven to me.  
  
"You... don't like it?" Selphie frowned slightly.  
  
"No, I didn't exactly say that..." I said, trying not to hurt her feelings. This was strange. I never cared before, but now, she seemed so nice to me... and it only felt right to do the same to her.  
  
"So you DO like it!" She jumped up with joy and hugged me. I groaned in pain as some of her weight hit my chest. "Oops! Sorry Seify" She said in a little kid's voice.  
  
"Don't ever call me that." I pointed out to her strictly. I hated having nicknames. Funny, how I hate them, but I give them to other people. Puberty boy, Cowboy, Chickenwuss...  
  
"Awww, poor Seify don't like being called Seify?" She continued to joke. "That's no fun. It's funner to call you that than Seifer! It sounds so cute!"  
  
"I'm not cute."  
  
"Sure you are! Cute, cute, cute!"  
  
"I'm warning you..." I was getting a little irritated now.  
  
"Awww... don't be mad Seif... er!" She managed to correct herself just in time. "So Seifer," She began as she sat back down. "what did happen at the Training Center?"  
  
"No matter what I say, you'll think I did try to kill her." I knew everyone else did, so why bother explaining?  
  
"Actually, not really. Say, you hungry?" Selphie bolted up from her seat. "I'll get you some food!" She ran out before I could tell her I wasn't hungry.  
  
[That kid... isn't all that bad...] I thought. [But I wonder why she's being so nice to me? I used to be rude to her... in fact, I even tried killing her a few times. So why is she so nice to me? Nobody should be nice to a traitor like myself. I don't deserve it.]  
  
"How are you Seifer?" A voice called from the doorway.  
  
I turned my head to face the most least likely person to come visit me. Her honey blonde hair was put up in its usual style. In a bun, held up with a clip, and two long tendrils of hair flowing down from the side of her face. She wore her usual attire, her peach battle suit with her Save The Queen clipped to the side of it.  
  
"Fine Instructor, not dead yet." I replied, my old self-returning.  
  
"It's a pity..." I heard her mumble. "I talked to Dr. Kadowaki just before, and she said you would be well enough to continue on with your regular duties tomorrow. I begin tutoring you at 600 hours. Not a minute later. Our Monday, Wednesday, and Friday session end at 1200 hours. Tuesday and Wednesday we begin at 800 hours and end at 1500 hours. Not a minute later, and not a minute earlier. The weekend is yours. Understand?"  
  
I looked at her, I would have given her a confused look, but I couldn't show any other emotion to her. [Why was the schedule so screwed up?] I wondered.  
  
"Yes Instructor, I wouldn't miss our little session together for the world!" I replied my every word dripping with sarcasm.  
  
"You will call me Instructor, and only Instructor..." I cut her off.  
  
"I always had." I smirked at her. I knew she hated whenever I did that, but it only made me a little happier to see her annoyed.  
  
"Physical training is on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Study periods are Tuesday and Thursday. Every weekend, you'll be given an assignment due the next week. During the weekdays, I tell you what to do, and you do what I tell you to, no questions. No matter whether we have session or not." She continued, ignoring my comment.  
  
"So in other words, Instructor, during the weekdays, you pretty much own me?"  
  
"That is all Seifer, see you tomorrow." She replied in her strictly, teacher manner. She stopped and turned around. "Tomorrow we meet at the front gates." Without letting me reply, she exited my room.  
  
[What a bitch.] I thought to myself as I continued looking at the door.  
  
* * *  
  
(Selphie)  
  
I pretty much skipped the whole way to the cafeteria. For some odd reason, I felt happy. Not just happy, but extremely happy. Maybe it was because Seifer liked my decorating job I had done for him. But did I truly believe that he didn't try kill Rinoa? I wasn't sure, so I kept the thought at the back of my head.  
  
Just as I entered the cafeteria, I crashed into someone. I didn't get to see who it was, because my face slammed into his chest. I was about to fall over, but the figure reached out one muscular arm and pulled me back up.  
  
"Thanks!" I pulled the hem of my bright yellow dress down.  
  
I looked up to see who was my savior, but regretted it completely when I realized who it was. His long brown hair, beige trench coat, and cowboy hat perched upon his head spelled out two words loud and clear... Irvine Kinneas.  
  
"Hey Selphie..." He said the words so slowly it felt like he wanted to hold on to it forever. His hand was still clasped onto my arm, which made me feel uneasy. I shook my arm slightly to indicate that I wanted his hand off me. He got the idea and quickly let go, turning slightly red.  
  
"Hey Irvine!" I said in my usual chirpy tone. Even though I didn't like this man very much, I would still consider him as a friend, and I will treat him like any other of my friends.  
  
"Where are you heading to?"  
  
"To the cafeteria of course!" [What is up with this guy? Of course I'm going to the cafeteria!]  
  
"Oh. Listen, umm, Zell and I are going ... on a mission tomorrow." The words seemed to stumble out of his mouth.  
  
"Oh really? Well good luck to you two! I better be off now! Wish you two the best! Bye!" I slipped past him and half jogged into the kitchen. I did not want to talk to him anymore.  
  
"Bye..." I could faintly hear him say to me.  
  
Once I was in the kitchen, I sighed in relief. In a way, I was somewhat afraid that he might bawl on me. It was just strange for me having to see a man cry. I did once, and that was when I broke up with Irvine. He cried, and cried, and cried, and made me sort of regret breaking up with him. That is probably why I don't want to talk to him much, or else I'll back up on my word.  
  
Trying to shove the thought Irvine out of my mind, I began boiling the pot of soup sitting on the stove. After a short while, I poured some of the soup in a bowl and grabbed some fruit and bolted out the kitchen towards Seifer's room. It wasn't long until I was sitting down on the white chair watching Seifer eat.  
  
"Thanks kid." He mumbled as he drank his delicious soup.  
  
"You're welcome! Well, I better let you rest now... I ought to get some rest myself. So I'll see you tomorrow?" I stood up from my chair and waved goodbye.  
  
"Maybe..." Was Seifer's response.  
  
* * *  
  
(Quistis)  
  
"Rise and shine! Today is another beautiful summer day! Oh won't you listen to the birds chirping outside? It's time to wake up to another stress free day! In just a moment, we begin our Monday morning countdown with today's hottest hits!" The annoying announcer shouted through my alarm clock.  
  
I groggily pulled my thin blanket off me. I looked at my alarm clock and sighed. The big red numbers read 5:00am. [Stupid Squall... telling me to get up so damn early to tutor that bastard... why couldn't it be a little later?] I got up from my bed, and slipped on my fuzzy peach slippers and walked into the bathroom.  
  
Looking in the mirror, I could not recognize myself at all. My hair was a tousled mess, and it seemed like dark circles were forming under my eyes. I reached over to grab my pink toothbrush and slapped on some toothpaste and slowly began brushing my teeth. [I guess Squall's right... with this messed up and early time schedules, Seifer's bound to get annoyed. And when Seifer's annoyed, he goes crazy! Then, then, no more Seifer!] I smiled slightly and began rinsing my mouth.  
  
I then slowly took off my pyjamas and stepped into the shower. I turned on the water so it would be only luke warm, however to me, it felt like icicles against my skin. It was as if taking this icicle shower was what woke me up. In no time, I was out of the shower and deciding what to wear.  
  
I stood in front of my closet and examined my clothes. [Battle suit, battle suit, SeeD outfit, battle suit, pyjamas, and more battle suit.] I stuck out my tongue in disgust. [Quistis Trepe, you only have two different outfits that you wear! You should really get more clothes sometime.] I decided to wear my battle suit.  
  
Just as I was about to exit my room, I glanced at my alarm clock one last time. 5:48. Seifer's sure to be late.  
  
* * *  
  
(Seifer)  
  
I ached in pain when I tried pulling my black shirt over my head. I had woken up a little earlier so that I could go back to my dorm, take a quick shower/bath, and change to be on time. I didn't know, however, that my quick shower/bath ended up to be a half hour because I was aching and had to carefully scrub my chest so that it wouldn't scream in pain. It also took me a lot longer to get changed. Pulling the shirt over my head proved a difficult task. [How the hell am I supposed to survive with physical training today?] I asked myself after I finally got my shirt on.  
  
I hurriedly exited my room and practically ran to the front gates. Normally I would care less if I were late, but now that this would be my last chance to be SeeD, there's no way I could let something happen.  
  
When I arrived at the front, I was taking deep breaths. [Seifer Almasy, you are completely out of shape.]  
  
"Seifer, I'm glad you finally decided to join me. However, I do have to note that you are late." Quistis held a pocket watch in her hands. She held onto the chain and let the watch fall so that I could read the time. 6:07. I was only 7 minutes late.  
  
"Seifer, do 5 laps around the Garden, now!" She ordered me.  
  
"I'm only 7 minutes late!" I argued.  
  
"You're still late. Even if you were only 1 minute late, you're still going to get punished for it.  
  
[You fukking bitch.] I swore in my head as I began jogging.  
  
"RUN!" She screamed at me.  
  
Cursing some more, I followed her orders. It took me about 10 minutes to do one lap and I was already slowing my pace. My heart seemed to pound at my chest, which made me ache more than ever. As I neared to finish my second lap, Quistis screamed at me again.  
  
"Don't slow down! Continue running!"  
  
I continued cursing at her in my head. After the fourth lap, my head was spinning like crazy. I felt like I was out of breath, and nearly to collapse. [Maybe I should just run to the back of the Garden and take a break so that she won't see me...] I thought. But she outsmarted me. For my fifth lap, she ran with me, pacing herself so that she would only be a couple feet away from me.  
  
When I finally reached back to the front gates, I was heaving and taking deep breaths as if any of those would be my last. I was about to sit down, but Quistis scolded me.  
  
"Walk around here for 5 minutes, before you sit down." I obeyed her and did so.  
  
When I finally sat down, she threw a water bottle at me. "You get a five minute break and we continue."  
  
"What?!" I shouted angrily. I knew if I continued like this, I would now be able to survive. I was sweating all over, and the cloudless sky was not helping at all. I continued cursing her in my head as I gulped down the water, never have I loved water as much as I did now. The water was like a complete savior to me. I didn't realize how long I had been resting until Quistis instructed me again.  
  
"Get up." I obeyed her, though, still cursing in my head. "Now do a hundred pushups."  
  
"Bitch." I muttered as I got into a push-up position. I lowered myself, and felt the strain in my arms.  
  
"One." Quistis counted. [Bitch] "Two." [Bitch] "Three." [Bitch] "Four." [Bitch] "Five... why are you slowing down?!" She scolded me.  
  
I didn't answer her, but continued doing my set. I wasn't long until I was completely exhausted, and I had done only 59. My heart was pounding through my chest as if at anytime it would pound out soon. Sweat was rolling down my face, and my arms ached so much. [I can't... go on... much... longer...]  
  
"Stop. Just stop. Your push-ups are getting pathetic, they don't even look like one. Just stop. That's just pathetic." Quistis threw another water bottle near my head.  
  
Relieved that I didn't have to do anymore, I fell done. It turned out to be a very bad move, because once when I landed on my chest, it pained me so much. [Bitch. She should just rot in hell] I cautiously sat up and gulped down the water, leaving some to splash on my head. When some of the water fell to my chest, it stung terribly. I groaned in pain.  
  
"Am I being to harsh on you or something? Can you not handle it?" Quistis smirked at me, as if mocking me.  
  
"It just hurts me to see you being so cold to your favourite student." I smirked back at her, despite the aching pain from my chest.  
  
"You wish Seifer. My favourite student?" She laughed. "You'll never be my favourite student."  
  
I clenched my teeth together. It hurt whenever I heard that.  
  
"Seifer!!" a high-pitched squeal was heard from the front gates.  
  
I turned my head to see Selphie bouncing towards me with what looked like a picnic basket. I stood up and half greeted her, as I didn't want to show Quistis that I had a sensitive side.  
  
"Look what I brought!" She opened the lid and showed me the fruits and water bottles she carried. She jogged up to me and smiled at me. "Hey Quistis!" She greeted.  
  
"Selphie, we're in the middle of a session here..." Quistis sounded a little displeased. Maybe she couldn't stand the sight of someone being nice to me.  
  
"I know! But I thought Seifer would need a little snack break! Right Seify?" She pushed me playfully on the chest. I groaned.  
  
"Seify...?" I heard Quistis giggle slightly.  
  
"Seifer, you're sure sweatin' a lot!" She brushed her hand against the lower part of her dress. But when she removed her hand a streak of red was left behind. Her eyes widened and she lightly touched my chest again with her fingertips. "Seifer... that's not sweat! That's blood!" She nearly shrieked.  
  
"Oh... would you look at that." I didn't know what else to say. I couldn't and wouldn't go around jumping and screaming 'Oh hyne! I am bleeding! Oh no, I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!'. That would be ridiculous!  
  
"Seifer! We gotta get you to the Infirmary!" Selphie pulled my arm so suddenly, my head began spinning. We didn't run far before my legs started to grow weak and it seemed like Selphie was dragging me there. "I'm not gonna let you die!" I heard Selphie shout as my vision faded away.  
  
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Author: Alritey! There you have chapter one! I was hoping this fic would only be a few LONG chapters... so it may take a while for the next chapter to come out. Reviews are always nice =)  
  
Just wanted to point out one more thing... SEIFTIS... not Selfer... sorry! 


	2. Anger

Author's Note: I would like to thank everyone for reviewing! It just makes me so happy when I find out I have reviews!! I know, that sounds a little sad, but that's just me! Well, I'm finally done my finals at school... so hopefully I'll have more time to work on my fic(s). But I also have to do my English assignment! . Evil teacher... give me an assignment before I even have her!! ARGH!!! Anyway, I'd like to respond to my reviews...  
  
Hotaru9 - First off, I'd like to thank you for reading and reviewing my other fic, "Wanted Love, Unwanted Person" and secondly, I'd like to thank you for your compliment. ^-^ I try my best to make it seem more realistic!  
  
Quistis Almasy - I'd like to thank you also for reading and reviewing my other fic. And the reason Quistis seems so mean in this fic is 'cause, well, first she lost her Instructor's License 'cuz of Seifer, and second, she lost Squall to Rinoa. If I were in her position, I'd be so pissed off. That's why I try to make her seem a little meaner.  
  
The Omega Weapon - I think Seifer is completely human like everyone else, and that he regrets a lot of things. Not only that, but he's a really sensitive guy, who just doesn't like showing his feelings. I try to make him seem realistic... I hope he does sound realistic! =)  
  
Quistis88 - Like to thank you for reading/reviewing my other fic as well, really appreciate it! I usually like writing Seiftis' that don't have the typical clichés, and well, I figured someone's gonna break Seifer's façade and Selphie seemed like the most reasonable person to do so... despite the fact this is a Seiftis. But who said Quistis had to be the one to break it?  
  
VegaKeep - I think you read my other fic as well (if my memory serves me correctly) so I'd like to thank you for that as well. And I'm glad you liked the brother/sister relationship between Seifer and Selphie. If you ask me, they seem more like siblings rather than couples... though I'm not saying that Selfers are bad... I don't know where I'm going with that anymore, so I'll just hush. ^-^  
  
Satanic-Purple-Onion - I figured SOMEONE had to be nice to poor Seifer... I'd put myself there! But, being the kind (ya right!) author that I am, I decided not too... lol. And don't worry, I'm trying to get chapter 2 up soon! I'm trying my best!!  
  
Jennifer - Hey! Glad to find out that you read this fic and my previous fic too! Ya, Selphie seems like a nice type of person... wish I could be her too!  
  
Setobsessed - This isn't really a Rinoa/Squall/Quistis... actually, it's really weird and I'm not too sure myself either! . I'm a Seiftis fan too, and I only write Seiftis' or something dealing with Seiftis, I don't write Selfers, sry! Maybe one of these days, but this is definitely not going to be a Selfer...  
  
Alrite, now that that is all done, why not we continued with the story? Last chapter left off with Quistis torturing poor Seifer with the physical training. Selphie comes along and finds out Seifer's wound opened again and is taking him to the Infirmary, but before he's there, he passes out! Oh no! My poor Seifer!! What's gonna happen to him?! Er... I meant... Quistis' poor Seifer... ^-^  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
I awoke with a blinding light shining into my eyes. I wanted to close my eyes, but something was going against my will. I could faintly hear voices, but I couldn't make it out what they were saying. The light pulled away and the force holding my eyes up was gone. My eyelid quickly closed with a little plop. I wanted to rub my eyes, but my arm wouldn't move, it felt like it weighed a ton. I tried opening my eyes again, but I felt too weary. I felt like I was going to drift off to that black void again, but someone plopped beside me and hit me on the arm. Suddenly I could hear voices again.  
  
"Seifer, Seifer! Did you hear that?! Looks like you're not gonna die after all!" A high-pitched voice shrilled with joy. I could already tell who it belonged to.  
  
"It's a pity." Another female voice muttered.  
  
"Quistis! Don't be so rude! You nearly killed him!" The first voice spoke out again. The weight on my arm lifted off. I could just imagine the scenery already.  
  
I would be in either another white room, or the same room I had ditched earlier. The one Selphie had decorated to her liking, but not mine. Quistis and Selphie would also be in the room, Selphie was the one sitting beside me and Quistis would be standing near the doorway, wanting to escape from hell. When the extra weight from my arm was gone, I knew Selphie had stood up and faced Quistis. Quistis would have a shocked expression, wondering why Selphie was defending a traitor such as myself. Next Quistis would open her mouth to defend herself, but Selphie would stop her.  
  
"Look Quistis, I know you really don't like Seifer, but that doesn't give you the right to try kill him!" Selphie would then turn her head away from her friend.  
  
"But I..." Quistis began, but found no other words coming out.  
  
"Quisty... I thought you were the more sensible one... I didn't expect you would be like Squall and them..." Selphie accused.  
  
The next thing I heard was a loud swoosh and the door slamming. No doubt Quistis would leave angrily. But before she exited the Infirmary, Dr. Kadowaki probably stopped her.  
  
"Quistis, I told you Seifer would not be able to handle any strenuous and tedious work right after recovering. Now his wound has reopened. Take it easy on him. I'd advise no more physical training for the whole week."  
  
"Yes, doctor." I could just imagine Quistis in her upright position as if taking orders from a commander. Then I heard the doors to the Infirmary open and close.  
  
"Hey Seifer... come on, wake up! I don't like it when you're always hurt and not awake..." Selphie whimpered slightly while shaking me. I wanted to tell her to stop, but I couldn't open my eyes, nor open my mouth to speak.  
  
"Selphie, maybe you should let him rest for a bit. He seemed awfully exhausted, and not the mention the exhaustion from the blood loss." Dr. Kadowaki said from what seemed like the doorway.  
  
"I suppose you're right. But when he wakes up, be sure to call me okay?" I could hear the chair moving away from me.  
  
"Don't worry, I will. Oh and Selphie, next time when you decide to decorate my room, please ask first, or at least tear it down when the patient leaves. It took me forever to tear down yesterday's decorating job. I'm just lucky I didn't get many patients today."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry! I will remember to do so next time!" I could just imagine the sheepish grin Selphie was giving Dr. Kadowaki.  
  
It wasn't long after both had left my room when I started to feel sleepy and tired again.  
  
* * * (Quistis)  
  
I pounded my right fist into my desk angrily. I couldn't believe Selphie accused me of trying to kill Seifer. Of course I would be much happier if he were dead, but I wouldn't try to kill him! Besides, if I did try, he'd be dead. [Selphie, why the hell are you helping that bastard?!] I muttered a string of curses as I continued pounding at my desk. It wasn't long before a dent appeared on the desk, but that didn't bother me. In fact, I continued to punch against it to see how long it could withstand this abuse.  
  
"Damn you Seifer!" I shouted angrily as I gave one last punch to the desk. I put so much force in this punch that the desk actually broke. I could feel the shards of wood piercing into my skin.  
  
I gave out one loud sigh before I gingerly pulled my fist from the hole in the desk. I held it to my face and examined it. My knuckles were bleeding and pieces of wood stuck out from my fingers.  
  
I plopped myself on my bed and began attempting to get the slivers out. But when I touched one of them, it pained me. I grabbed a shirt lying on my bed and rolled it up. I took a deep breath and put the shirt between my mouth and clenched onto it with my teeth tightly. I then proceeded to take the wood out. With a swift motion I grabbed and pulled the biggest one out first. I groaned in pain as the blood flowed out from the wound.  
  
Taking another deep breath, I continued pulling them all out. After a long while, and a lot of pain, I finally managed to get them all out of my hand. My hand was all bloody, and some of the blood dripped onto my outfit and blanket. Ignoring the blood, I proceeded to the bathroom and carefully washed my wound. The water stung my hand terribly and I felt like I might die soon, but I somehow managed and slowly began bandaging my right hand.  
  
After I finished bandaging it - - with a terrible job done with my left hand - - I grabbed my blanket and threw it into the washing machine. [I better get a new desk soon...] I told myself as grabbed another outfit and threw the blood stained one in the washer as well. [I should do some training to get my mind off that bastard.] I told myself while I exited my room  
  
  
  
* * * (Seifer)  
  
It didn't seem like I slept for long when I woke up again. I was surprised to see Matron stroking my hand, with her eyes closed and humming a familiar tune. My room was an empty, white room, similar to the one I had before, but I knew it wasn't because the window was located differently.  
  
"Ma..." I tried to speak out, but felt my throat and mouth completely dry.  
  
Matron immediately opened her eyes and smiled at me. She reached for the pitcher of water and poured some water for me. Next she helped me sit upright and handed me the glass. I greedily drank the water.  
  
"Matron..." I whispered softly to her.  
  
"How are you Seifer?" She began with the formalities.  
  
"Still alive..." I turned my head away from her. I was ashamed of myself. I had only come back for two days and I had to lie in the Infirmary twice already.  
  
"Of course you are my child." She smiled at me again. "I hope nobody's giving you are hard time here... right?" She seemingly asked me.  
  
[Oh... if you only knew how much I sometimes wish I did die.] "Of course not." I lied. I never did like lying to Matron. She was like a mother to me, someone I could never have for myself. When I was younger, I had to share her with the others, and when I became her knight, she wasn't the mother I wanted nor the mother I remembered.  
  
"Seifer..." She said calmly and stroked my head. "Remember when you were little? You always told me that you never wanted to see anyone sad... but here you are... looking so miserable."  
  
"I don't remember." I lied again, still not able to find courage to look at her.  
  
"And remember when you were little... when you lied to me or when you were ashamed of yourself, you'd always turn your head away from me?" She continued to stroke my head.  
  
I wanted to turn to her and tell her I was sorry. Sorry for everything. Sorry for what I did, sorry for my very own existence, but I wouldn't. I wouldn't turn my head and look at her.  
  
"Seifer, remember how I always hugged you tightly when you were scared or when you were angry? The other children never knew you could be scared because you'd always act angry and then come to me for comfort. You never let them see you scared. Do you remember that?" She continued.  
  
"Look, Matron, I don't remember anything about my childhood, nor do I care! Why do you keep bringing it up?!" I finally turned my head to glare at her. I hated remembering my past. I didn't grow up as a happy kid, but I knew I was happier then, then I am now.  
  
She looked un phased by my sudden outburst. She stopped stroking my head and looked me right into the eyes. "Seifer, you've grown so much... if your parents could see you now, they'd be so proud of you. I know I am."  
  
"Proud?! What are you talking about Matron? Nobody would be proud to have a son as a traitor! A son who nearly destroyed this damn world! Nobody would want a bastard son like myself! No one would care for a lap dog! In fact, they'd probably be much happier if I were to burn in hell!" I screamed out angrily.  
  
"Seifer, everyone has their faults... but look at you... I know you feel guilty for your actions, I know you wish to change. I know you want to change everything you did. I know you regret it... and for that, I'm so proud of you." She stretched her arms out as if asking for a hug. I remember she used to do that when I was little. I'd always feel so safe and protected when she hugged me. that's why I wanted to protect her when I grew up.  
  
"Matron, I don't deserve your pity." I answered quite rudely, immediately I wanted to take those words back.  
  
Matron was a little shocked as she moved back slightly. She lowered her arms and continued talking to me.  
  
"Seifer, it wasn't your fault. You didn't mean to do it..."  
  
"It was my fault! I was the one who decided to serve you... and the sorceress. I was the one who chose that path! My cruel destiny." I looked up at the ceiling and bit my tongue. I could feel my eyes were getting a little moist. I didn't want to cry. I would not cry. I wouldn't let myself. That would just show my weakness...  
  
"That was not your destiny. If it were, you wouldn't be here. Seifer, you have a greater life destined for you... you may not feel it now, but I know you do."  
  
"A greater life destined for me? That's for sure! I'm to die in agonizing pain." I lowered my head as I felt the moistness from my eyes burn away.  
  
"Things are not what they seem."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
There was an odd silence that followed. It seemed to last for eternity, which bothered me a lot. I hated the feeling of isolation. I absolutely hated it.  
  
"Where's Fujin and Raijin?" Matron finally spoke out again.  
  
"Near Esthar."  
  
"In that nearly built town?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What are they doing there?" She continued to ask.  
  
"They opened a private military school." I paused for a moment and continued, I knew Matron would continued asking me questions. "They want to help young children to be able to defend for themselves."  
  
"That's very thoughtful of them. I was wondering where they were when you came without them." There was another odd silence after she spoke. I felt a little uneasy and I knew Matron would ask me about yesterday's incident soon.  
  
"I didn't try to kill her." I finally said.  
  
"Kill who?" She asked.  
  
[Don't play dumb.] "Rinoa."  
  
"I know you didn't. You wouldn't want to."  
  
[What does that mean?] I didn't answer her, but it seemed as if she read my mind.  
  
"It's okay to still love someone, even if they don't love you."  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about." I lied again.  
  
"Rinoa's a very nice and pretty girl. Many boys your age want her. I know."  
  
"Matron, are you trying to imply that I like Rinoa?" I asked quite disgusted myself. But I knew it was true. I knew I still liked Rinoa, despite the fact she was the one who tried to kill me. And despite the fact that she loves that puberty boy. [I don't even know what she sees in him. I thought... I was better...]  
  
"No, I'm not implying that, I know you do."  
  
"Well I don't."  
  
"Seifer, have you ever thought about getting to know someone better??"  
  
"I don't need anyone. I am perfectly happy being by myself. I don't need or want anyone else to ruin my 'perfect' life." I said with such sarcasm that made me wonder if I was for real.  
  
"I've seen that you've been talking to Selphie more often nowadays..." I cut her off. "Selphie's more of a little sister to me."  
  
"I never said anything about you needing a girlfriend. I was just saying maybe you just need someone close to you. To talk to, or maybe even care for. It doesn't necessarily have to be a girlfriend. It could be a little brother/sister relationship."  
  
"I don't need anyone."  
  
"Why not...?" She finally asked the question that I knew was plaguing her.  
  
"Because I don't want anyone else to suffer with me!" I got up from the bed and stood up. I didn't want to be here anymore. I hated being in the Infirmary. It only meant that you were weak.  
  
Without letting her say anything else, I quickly exited the Infirmary, thankfully Dr. Kadowaki must have stepped out for a moment, or else she would have stopped me. I practically jogged my way to my dorm in order to avoid talking to Matron anymore.  
  
Once I got into my room, I took off my dirty jeans and pulled on another pair of jeans. I slipped on a black tee shirt on my bare, bandaged chest. Over top, I put on my treasured trench coat. The weight of it on my shoulders made me smile. How I missed wearing it. I slicked my hair back the way it was yesterday and headed towards the Training Center.  
  
I held my gunblade tightly as I walked through the grassy area. I didn't plan to fight any monsters, I just wanted to head to the Secret Area... the place I always went to sort out my thoughts. Fortunately, I didn't encounter any monsters on my way there. As I stepped into the clearing, memories came back to me.  
  
I remembered the last time I came here. It was just before Puberty boy and those others were assigned to aid the Forest Owls. It was night and the dark black sky seemed to spell danger. I came here to look at the sky and tell the stars of my dream.  
  
"One day, I'm gonna be a knight. And when that day comes, I'm gonna win back Rinoa." I recalled myself saying.  
  
I felt a little weak when I remembered myself saying that. I could never win Rinoa back. I didn't become the knight I had always dreamed of being. All of it was useless.  
  
"Seifer!" Someone gasped.  
  
It brought me back to reality. I turned my head to face whoever spoke of a traitor's name. I nearly smiled when I saw the angel standing there, with her hair and blue duster flowing behind her like an angelic dream. I could picture her when I first saw her standing in the field of flowers. The wind blowing softly, making her seem like she was flowing. She turned her head and smiled at me. Only now, she would never do the same.  
  
"Rinoa." I said emotionlessly, acknowledging her presence.  
  
* * * (Quistis)  
  
I wiped the sweat on my forehead as the twentieth beast fell from my vicious whip. I still hadn't gotten Seifer out of my mind as every monster I saw, I would replace the image with him and begin killing it like crazy. Every time I the beast fell, I would see Seifer falling. Strange thing was, every time he fell, I could see remorse in his eyes. It made me feel a little odd, which made me angrier, which then caused me to kill more monsters.  
  
Feeling a little exhausted, I headed towards the Secret Area. I remember when I had talked to Squall here the last time I was here.  
  
"Go talk to a wall."  
  
I would remember those words forever. It pained me more than death itself whenever I remember those words. [What does Rinoa have that I don't?] I would always ask myself.  
  
I could feel tears building up my eyes. So I began running towards the Secret Area, as I neared, I saw Rinoa there, it looked like she was talking to someone, and so I quickly hid myself in between some nearby bushes.  
  
"Seifer." I heard her gasp.  
  
"Rinoa." A deep male voice replied. No doubt it was Seifer's.  
  
"What are you still doing here?!" I could hear someone's feet shuffling. It was probably Rinoa backing up.  
  
"I'm not gonna leave that easily Rinoa. Someone's gonna see through your lies one of these days."  
  
My eyes widened in shock. [What did he mean?] Carefully, I pushed myself up so I could see the two. Seifer held his gunblade, but not in his usual fashion. It looked like his arm was too weak to hold onto such a heavy thing. Rinoa, on the other hand held her Shooting Star tightly and she was edging towards the exit.  
  
"Seifer, don't you see? You don't belong here!"  
  
"Neither do you."  
  
"Seifer... I just... we... we weren't meant to be." Rinoa finally loosed her grip on her weapon. Seifer just looked at the setting sun. He let go of his gunblade and it slid and sat against the wall. "Seifer... we just weren't."  
  
"You and I both know that I didn't try to kill you. You lied Rinoa. You lied to me. It wasn't the first time either..." I could hear him mumbling the last bit.  
  
"It's because you don't belong here Seifer. I don't want you to get hurt..." She began, but Seifer cut her off.  
  
"You don't want me to get hurt so you try to kill me?" He didn't bother looking at her.  
  
"I... didn't... I ... you wouldn't have been killed anyway... Seifer, why do you persist to come here? Nobody wants you here! It's better if you're not here, for yourself and everyone else." She took a step towards Seifer.  
  
"I came to Balamb Garden for a reason, and I'm not leaving till I'm done..."  
  
"To be SeeD." Rinoa finished. "You can't make it to SeeD. You just can't. And if you somehow miraculously did, Squall will see to it that you don't."  
  
"That's not what you first said when I told you I wanted to be SeeD." Seifer still didn't bother to look at her.  
  
"That was different. We were something then... but now... we aren't." [So Seifer and Rinoa DID go out before...]  
  
"Rinoa, I'm not gonna leave here just because you told me to."  
  
"You would have before..." I heard her mumbling.  
  
"Like you said, we were something before... but now... we aren't.." Seifer didn't seem to care about a damn thing she said. [Seifer must have really loved Rinoa then...]  
  
"I'm sorry Seifer! It's just we weren't meant to be! I'm happier with Squall! I'm sorry, but that's just the truth!" Rinoa shouted at Seifer's back and then ran out of the Training Center.  
  
"I was happier with you..." He whispered to the sky. "What does he have that I don't?"  
  
I bit my lower lip. Seifer is just like me. He couldn't give up Rinoa. Just like I can't give up Squall. I slumped down to sit and think, but it proved to be a bad mistake as the bushes rustled, causing Seifer to turn around.  
  
"Who's there?" he asked angrily. I tried to sink lower to the ground to avoid being seen, but Seifer pulled the bushes apart with his gunblade.  
  
"Instructor." He said emotionless. There was an odd silence as I didn't know what do or say and he probably didn't know what to do as I had just overheard his deepest thoughts.  
  
He broke the silence by swiftly turning around and storming out of the Training Center. I continued to sit there thinking about what I had just overheard. [Rinoa tried to kill Seifer, and lied about it. Seifer still likes Rinoa, so he wouldn't have killed her anyway. Rinoa likes Squall and Squall likes Rinoa.]  
  
"Why won't he love me?" I whispered to no one in particular as a single tear slid down my cheek.  
  
* * * (Seifer)  
  
(Tuesday)  
  
I entered the library to be greeted by Quistis' firm posture. Her back was turned to me, and it looked like she was reading a book. If I had been in the mood, I probably would have been looking at her ass, but after what happened yesterday, I didn't want to think about anything at the moment. I turned my head to look at the clock. 8:00. Right on time.  
  
I cleared my throat, which caught her attention. She abruptedly turned around and motioned me to sit. I sat down and smirked at her. I was not going to let her have an easy time after hearing what I had said in the Secret Area yesterday. She gave me an odd look as if trying to say 'What the hell are you smirking about?'  
  
"So Instructor, do like lying on the ground or something?" I would not and could not let my pride go like that. She gave me another expression as if to ask 'What?' "In the Secret Area Instructor. You were lying on the ground as if you were enjoying it." I smirked again.  
  
"Seifer!" She scolded as a few students turned their heads in our direction.  
  
"I'm only stating the truth. That's what I saw. I saw you lying on the ground and enjoying it." I continued to smirk. The few students began whispering among themselves. Quistis looked at me with disbelief.  
  
"I never knew the Seifer Almasy nearly bawled like that." She tried to counter.  
  
"Please Instructor, don't use my name to refer to yourself. I bet you were thinking of that puberty boy when you were lying on the ground." More whispers from the students.  
  
"I do no such thing!" She glared at me.  
  
"Please Instructor, stop denying it. I saw you with my own eyes. Besides, it's normal to do something like that." My smirk grew wider. I knew she wanted to smack me I the face, but wouldn't dare with so many students around. The murmurs from the students grew louder, which pissed Quistis a lot.  
  
"Mind your own business!" She screamed at the other students. They hurried to scurry off, afraid of Quistis' wrath. She reached the collar of my shirt and pulled me up to her face. "Shut up you fukkin' lap dog. I didn't do anything like that. You're the one who's crying over Rinoa. It's a no wonder she chose Squall over you." She spat the words out at me like venom.  
  
"Instructor! We're in public here! If you wanted me so badly, we could have went somewhere more private." I spoke out loud. The other students turned to face us again. Their expressions were priceless! Each of them had their eyes wide open and bulging out as the saw the position Quistis and I were in. She was leaning into me in a very suggestive way and it looked like she tried kissing me. I smirked again. This was getting even better than I thought it would be.  
  
Quistis looked unimpressed. She whipped her head around and glared at the students, they all quickly turned around and minded their own businesses as they were afraid of this vicious bitch. She let go of my collar and grabbed some books on the shelf and threw them on my table.  
  
"Read all of them and give me a five page essay on each. You'll hand them in, in three hours." Without letting me say another snide remark, she marched out of the library. Once she was out, the students began whispering again.  
  
I looked at the seven books on my table. They were huge and looked like they had 1000 pages with size 8 font for each. I grabbed the nearest book and read the title. 'Your Complete Guide to Guardian Forces' [This is gonna be a piece of cake.]  
  
* * * (Selphie)  
  
I stood at the front gates waving Irvine and Zell off. Apparently there were vicious murders near Galbadia Garden, which made them really tense. Zell and Irvine were to 'investigate' the situation. I think they were more likely to solve this little mystery.  
  
"Good luck!!" I yelled at them. Zell was waving vigorously at me, all the while smiling. Irvine was also waving vigorously, but he wore a frown. "Come back with all the good news!" I shouted again.  
  
"Bye Selph! Take care of yourself! And remember to save me some hotdogs when I come back!!" Zell shouted back to me. I couldn't help but laugh.  
  
Once they were had disappeared into the sky, I turned around and hopped to the cafeteria. [After I grab something to eat, I better start decorating the Quad for the Costume Party next week!] As I entered the Cafeteria, I saw Quistis sitting at our usual table. She looked very angry and seemed like she was muttering a string of curses.  
  
"Hey Quisty!" I bounced to her table. She didn't even look up at me. Frowning slightly, I sat across from her. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Damn bastard! He should just fukkin' rot in damn hell." She swore.  
  
I was a little shocked to her Quistis say that. Never have I heard her swear like that before. "Who are you talking about?" I asked, curiously.  
  
"That fukkin' damn lap dog!" She cursed loudly. The cafeteria lady turned her attention to us and pressed her finger against her lips, to tell us to be quiet. I knew Quistis meant Seifer. I frowned a little more.  
  
"What did he do?"  
  
"For existing!" She hissed.  
  
"Seifer's not all bad... when you get to know him better..." I mumbled, loud enough for Quistis to hear. But it turned out to be a bad idea.  
  
"That lap dog is the fukkin' devil himself!" She shouted and slammed her right fist into the table. She winced slightly, but stormed out of the cafeteria right after.  
  
I followed her with my gaze. As she angrily left the cafeteria, a trio of students entered. They were talking quite loudly so that everyone could hear them.  
  
"I wonder why she's so mad..." The blonde asked.  
  
"It's probably because Seifer rejected her." The brunette replied matter-of-factly.  
  
"What?" the blonde asked.  
  
"Didn't you hear?" The shorter blonde said. "Apparently Quistis was trying to do it with Seifer!"  
  
"Wow! Really?!" the blonde one asked, with her eyes wide open.  
  
"Trying? I heard they were actually doing it! In the library! On the table!" The brunette stated.  
  
"No, no! Quistis wanted to, but Seifer rejected her!" The shorter blonde said again. [No wonder Quistis is so mad... Seifer probably said something to make everyone think like that... strange how rumors spread so fast and change so much.] I thought as I got up from the table and walked up to the three.  
  
"Look, Quistis isn't that type to just 'DO IT'. And I know Seifer wouldn't just do it either! Especially in the library! Stop spreading these stupid rumors when they aren't true!" I pushed them apart and walked out of the cafeteria, heading towards Quistis' dorm. [I hope she's alright.]  
  
* * * (Quistis)  
  
I pounded my fist into my desk for the tenth time. The desk broke yet again, creating another hole. My fist was bleeding but I didn't care, I continued to pound the desk.  
  
"Stupid mother fukkin' lap dog. You'll pay for this. I'll make sure your life becomes a living hell!" I cursed.  
  
After that, I stopped pounding into the poor desk and rested both my fists on the unbroken parts of the desk, to hold up my weight. A few tears slid down my eyes as my breathing became uneven.  
  
"Why... why... why do I live in such hell?!" I muttered to myself as the tears began forming a little puddle on my desk. "I hate my life..."  
  
I used my left hand - - the un bloodied hand - - to wipe my tears away. Then I raised my right fist and examined it. There were less chips of wood pierced into my skin, but there was more blood. Probably because the cuts from yesterday reopened. I was about to pull the pieces out when someone tapped on my door.  
  
"Quisty?" It sounded like a frightened little girl, but I knew who it was. There was only one person who called me Quisty. "It's me Selphie. Can I come in?"  
  
I hesitated a bit before I pressed the open button beside the doorframe. The door slid open revealing Selphie. She stepped in and pressed the close button.  
  
"Quisty! Are you okay?" She gingerly held my bloodied fist up. I quickly pulled away.  
  
"Nothing I can't handle." I walked to the bathroom and proceeded to pull to chips out. It didn't seem as painful as yesterday. "What do you want?" I asked quite rudely.  
  
"I was just wondering how you were doing..." Selphie pulled me out of the bathroom. I reluctantly followed and sat on the bed beside her. She immediately pulled out any chips still in and dabbed my hand with some ointment. I clenched my teeth in pain.  
  
Then she proceeded to bandage my hand. "Maybe I should get you a metal desk." She joked and smiled at me. I couldn't help but smile back. When she was done bandaging it, the back of my hand was tied up into a bundle. [That's worse than me doing it...] I thought, but Selphie continued to dab it with some coloring. When she was done, I was amazed.  
  
"So how do you like it?" She asked, smiling brightly.  
  
I held up my hand to my face to examine her creativity. It was beautiful. She had somehow managed to tie it into a flower. I didn't know what kind of flower, but that didn't matter. It was so gorgeous. The flower had a yellow center and three layers of petals. The first layer was a pinkish peach, the middle layer was a gorgeous midnight blue, and the back layer was a violet purple.  
  
"It's gorgeous..." I replied, still gazing at her creation.  
  
"Glad you like it!"  
  
"You know Selphie, when the time comes to take it off, I'm not going to want to!" I laughed.  
  
"Of course you can! If you want to keep the flower, just cut here." She lifted the flowed to reveal a spot I could cut to keep the flower.  
  
I smiled at her again. "Where did you learn to make it?" I asked, truly amazed.  
  
"That's my little secret!"  
  
There was a short pause before I spoke again.  
  
"Selphie, I didn't try kill that traitor." I said.  
  
"I know. I'm sorry for accusing you. I was just a little angry 'cause Seifer seems so fragile nowadays." Selphie replied as she put away the ointment.  
  
"I don't know what you see in that bastard Selphie. What did he do to you?" My voice was raising slightly as the thought of someone being nice to that lap dog entered my mind.  
  
"Quisty, he has a name. I'd appreciate it if you didn't call him 'bastard this' or 'lap dog that' or even 'traitor'. Well, Seifer's a really nice guy once you get to know him..."  
  
I scuffed slightly. I didn't believe one word Selphie said. But I honestly wanted to know why she was so damn nice to that traitor. Then an idea popped into my head.  
  
"Hey Selphie... you need help decorating the Quad for next week right?"  
  
"Yes!" She beamed, probably thinking I was going to help her.  
  
"Tomorrow, I have someone who will help you!" A devious smile formed on my face. [Seifer hates decorating jobs... he's bound to go berserk when he finds out he has to do this...]  
  
"Really?! Who is it?" Selphie's eyes were beaming with delight.  
  
"Can't tell you now. It's a secret." The grin grew wider. [Seifer Almasy, I'm gonna make your life here a living hell.]  
  
* * * (Seifer)  
  
(Wednesday)  
  
"Seifer, since we cannot do any strenuous workout because of your current physical state, I want you to pull out all the weeds and remove any small rocks within this area." Quistis waved her hand around.  
  
"What for?!" I asked angrily.  
  
This was ridiculous! Why would Quistis make me pull the weeds from the field? And not to mention that it wasn't even Garden property. It was outside the Garden for hyne's sake! [She's probably just trying to get me back for ruining her reputation yesterday... that bitch.]  
  
"As you know, Selphie's holding a costume party next Friday, and I'm sure some of the students will want to walk out of the Garden and into this field. I want to make it nice for them." She smiled innocently, but I could tell what was going on in her mind. 'This is payback.'  
  
"Bitch." I swore a little too loudly.  
  
"And Seifer, you should watch that language of yours. I wouldn't want you to influence the junior classmen." She continued to smile. Then she tossed me a pair of gardening gloves and a bag. "Use them."  
  
Angrily, I grabbed the gloves and put them on. I continued cursing under my breath as I began to pull the fist weed out. [This is so pointless.] I turned back my head to face that ice bitch and noticed her hand bandaged. I smirked. [Probably wounded herself after our little 'incident']  
  
"Instructor, what happened to your hand?" I pretended to sound as caring as possible.  
  
"Seifer, did you have a change in heart? I never knew you cared for me that much!" She replied, mocking my tone.  
  
"That hurts to hear Instructor. I've always cared for you." I clutched my shirt tightly over my heart as if her words had just hurt me.  
  
"Strange... last time I recalled, you tried killing me." She smirked at me. She probably knew that every time I remembered of my past, it pained me. It pained me to know how much I suffered... and in the end, I got nothing in return.  
  
I didn't reply and she turned her back at me. I saw her take out a beach umbrella. She opened it up and stuck it into the earth. Next she pulled out a white lawn chair - - the ones you could lie on - - and unfolded it under the umbrella. Afterwards, she assembled a small table and placed it beside the chair. She continued to pull out various items from the big bag she brought, until she was satisfied. After she was done, she fixed herself a glass of lemonade, and pulled out a book. I couldn't tell what book it was, nor did I care, but the sight of her relaxing like that pissed me off. She lie down on the chair and began reading.  
  
"Bitch. Making me do all this crap. Guess it was worth it though, humiliating her like that." I chuckled slightly and continued pulling weeds off the ground.  
  
* * *  
  
It didn't seem long till my back was aching and the sun seemed like it was baking me. I didn't care anymore. I needed a break. I threw the bag full of weeds down and sat down, cross-legged. I pulled off my gloves that seemed to stick to me because of all the sweat. Next I used one of the gloves and used it as a fan. It didn't help much, but it was better than nothing.  
  
"What are you doing?" Quistis asked looking up from her 'interesting' book.  
  
"What does it look like to you?" I scoffed at her.  
  
"By the looks of it, you seem to be taking a break." She put the book down on the table and took a sip of her lemonade. Watching her made me realize how thirsty I was. I wanted to run up there and just gulp down her drink.  
  
"How did you guess?" Sarcasm dripped from my mouth.  
  
Quistis looked up at the sky. "Well I suppose it's about time you took a break." She pulled out two water bottles from her bag. Here." She placed the two water bottles on the table.  
  
Somewhat reluctant, I got from my position and began walking to her. Something seemed odd about this, she was probably planning something. As I stepped under the wonderful shade, I cautiously reached out the water bottles.  
  
"I don't bite." She continued to smile at me. Maybe she had a change in heart and was being nice to me, or she was purposely doing this to make me paranoid. If it was the latter, it was working.  
  
"What did you do to it?" I asked, referring to the water as I untwisted the cap.  
  
"Can't I be nice once in a while?" She flutted her eyes at me. That made me more suspicious, but I drank the water anyway.  
  
When I finished the first bottle, Quistis stood up and stepped towards me. I backed up. [She's up to something. I just know it.] She began unbuttoning her peach battle suit, which caused me to move further away from her. She continued to smile at me, and continued unbuttoning her top, very slowly.  
  
[What the hell is she doing?!] I questioned myself, still feeling quite uneasy. Just as her third button came undone, a pink cloth could be seen. She quickly undid the rest and pulled off the jacket. She wore a pink tank top underneath.  
  
She began laughing. "You... should have... seen the look on... your face!" She said in between giggles.  
  
I gritted my teeth. [What a fukkin' bitch.] I swore. "I knew you weren't going to take off your clothes for me, after all, I'm not your precious puberty boy." I angrily grabbed the full water bottle and headed towards the field again. Quistis stopped laughing. [Only proves that you still love that puberty boy.] I smirked slightly. [You piss me off again, then I'm going to make you think of the things you cannot have. That'll show you.]  
  
"Seifer, grab the bag and gloves and come back here." She said in her strict tone. My smirk grew. I had pissed her off.  
  
I did so and walked back to her, still smirking. I could just imagine all the cursing she was doing in her head at me.  
  
"You have 10 minutes to go to your dorm, shower, and change. Then you meet me in the Quad. Understand?" It was more of a statement than a question.  
  
"Don't I get time to eat lunch?"  
  
She ignored my comment and walked into the garden.  
  
"If I don't eat I might become malnourished! Then how am I supposed to pull weeds?" I continued, as I jogged slightly to walk beside her. She stopped walking and glared at me.  
  
"You get lunch if you deserve it. Besides, one little skipped meal will not make you malnourished." Without letting me say another word, she marched into the Garden.  
  
* * *  
  
I walked into the Quad to be greeted by Quistis. The Quad itself seemed like a mess! It looked like it was being decorated, but some things were being repaired at the same time. I looked around and saw Selphie busily trying to hammer something. [What the hell...? Quistis can't possibly want me to decorate! I hate decorating!]  
  
"You're late." She began.  
  
"What? I'm just on time!" I pointed to the clock on the wall.  
  
Quistis flipped open her pocket watch and showed it to me. "You're exactly 23 seconds late. For that, you have to stay an extra hour. Now, I want you to help Selphie decorate this place. As you see, she cannot finish this on time by herself. Any questions?" She didn't let me answer before she headed to the door. "No? Okay, I'll be back occasionally to check up on you."  
  
[Bitch. Bitch. Bitch.] I swore in my head as I watched her retreating figure. Angrily, I headed towards Selphie. I absolutely hated decorating. It just wasn't my style.  
  
"Need a hand?" She looked up at me with her big, bright eyes.  
  
"More like, need several hands." She smiled at me.  
  
"All I can offer is two." I knelt down beside her and took the hammer from her hand. "So what are you trying to do here?"  
  
"Some of the junior classmen were playing here and they broke the stage. I'm trying to fix it, but I don't know how. There's no way I can finish this on time." She plopped down on the ground, probably feeling quite hopeless.  
  
"Why don't you ask people to help you?" I asked as I pulled the nails out of the board. She was doing this all wrong.  
  
"I tried, I tried. But everyone seems to be busy. You know, sometimes it gets really annoying. I'm the only one who decorates for a party or something, and I'm the only one who cleans up to. Occasionally Quistis and Rinoa or even Zell and Irvine help me clean up once in a while. But I'm usually doing it all by myself. Sometimes I feel like I don't even want to do this anymore!" She threw a block of wood down at the ground angrily.  
  
I wanted to cheer her up, but I didn't know how. I never did cheer anyone up before, nor did I care. But Selphie, she was the only other person other than Matron who believed I had changed. I never actually had a real family in my whole life, but now, whenever I was with Selphie, it seemed like she was my family. She was like a little sister to me. In a way, I couldn't believe it. I have only been here for about four days, and she already made me feel that way... maybe it's just her gift to make people happy...  
  
"You can always ask me for help." I finally said, unaware of what I had led myself into.  
  
"Really?!" Again, her big, bright eyes looked at me.  
  
I nodded my head and began hammered the pieces together.  
  
"You gotta promise!" She held out her pinky to me.  
  
I sighed. [How childish] I thought, but looped my pinky with hers anyway. "I promise I'll help you whenever I can."  
  
"Seifer, you're the best!" She jumped to hug me so suddenly, I fell back with her on top of me. She immediately got up and blushed slightly. "Oops." She said in a childish tone that made me want to ruffle her hair... but I didn't. "Thanks again." This time, she took her time to hug me. She gave me a tight hug, which seemed like she was tying to give me a bear hug.  
  
"Don't sweat about it kiddo." This time I actually did ruffle her hair.  
  
"Hey, hey! You messed up my hair!!" She pulled back from me and stuck out her lower lip at me like a little kid. After a short while, she began giggling. She caused me to chuckle slightly before I returned back to work.  
  
* * * (Quistis)  
  
I sat on the Instructor's chair in the classroom. [This used to be my classroom... and this used to be my chair...] I told myself as I thought back to my Instructing days. How I missed them so... I had practically begged Headmaster Cid for my Instructor's license after the Sorceress Wars, but he refused. Apparently, I didn't have the 'teaching skills' required for the job. What a load of bullshit. All of my students passed the SeeD exam... except for one. The one I hated most... the one I wish would just die... Seifer Almasy.  
  
"Miss Trepe?" A meek voice called from the doorway.  
  
I turned my head to face the intruder. She stood 5'4" tall, and had shoulder-lengthed black hair that was nicely layered. She wore a white sleeveless tee, with matching capris. On her feet, she wore an inch tall white sandals. Perched on her nose were a pair of reading glasses. She normally didn't wear them, but I thought she looked quite professional with them, and without them, she looked beautiful.  
  
"Instructor Lee." I smiled at her.  
  
"Call me Kianne, Miss Trepe. Kianne will just do." She smiled back at me. I stood up from the seat and Kianne took over.  
  
"And I tell you to call me Quistis." I took a seat at a nearby student's desk.  
  
"Alright, Quistis. How are you? And thanks for checking the written exams for me." She was just like Selphie. Everyone loved her. But somehow, every time I didn't see her, I hated her. Probably because Cid thought she was a better Instructor than myself.  
  
"Not a problem at all!" I turned on the student's computer. Might as well check what they had on. "Haven't been doing to good lately."  
  
"Oh? How come?" She took some papers out of her little bag. She grabbed a red pen from her desk and began marking the papers.  
  
"Just... stuff..." I didn't want to tell her it was because of Seifer. I doubt she would know anything about it anyway.  
  
"I heard you have been tutoring a student. Seifer Almasy? Is he, the Seifer Almasy?" She asked, not looking up from her desk.  
  
"Unfortunately so." I clicked 'My Computer' and began exploring the student's hard drive. There were no games... [I can see that Kianne's a good Instructor... wish I could be too...]  
  
"How is that going?"  
  
"Terrible."  
  
"Do you know if Headmaster Cid will give you back your Instructor's License if he passes the SeeD exam?"  
  
"I'm not sure..." [Kianne doesn't seem to care that a traitor might make it to SeeD... then again, she didn't really know the guy...]  
  
"I've never seen him in person, how's he like?" She said, completely changing the subject.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Seifer Almasy." She flipped the first sheet of paper over and continued grading it.  
  
"You wouldn't want to. It's best that you don't. He's a complete asshole. They shouldn't have let him returned." I turned off the computer.  
  
"Well, I figured if Headmaster re-admitted him in, he can't be all bad. He's probably changed."  
  
[Kianne... thinks just like Selphie, sometimes acts just like Selphie... makes me wonder if she IS Selphie...] "Up to you to judge I guess... just warning you though, you'd probably wish you never met him before." I stood up and headed towards the door.  
  
"See you later..." She said, still marking.  
  
"Bye..." I headed out the door.  
  
I headed to the elevator, but was greeted by Squall, who had just came out from the elevator.  
  
"Have you seen Kianne?" He asked, stopping.  
  
"She's in the classroom." I pointed back to the room I had just left.  
  
"Good. How are you doing with that lap dog?"  
  
"So far manageable. I don't know how long I can last though."  
  
"Just keep it up. We have to get him out. Make him do the most pointless things... he's bound to blow up soon."  
  
"I'll try."  
  
"Good. I know it's a heavy load for you Quistis, but it'll all be worth it." He patted me on the shoulder and headed towards the classroom.  
  
I nearly smiled when he did that... but it just reminded me of my stupidity. [Quistis, you can never get him... so stop thinking that you can!] I mentally slapped myself and stepped into the elevator.  
  
It wasn't long before I stood in front of the Quad doors. I was just about to walk in, when I heard Selphie giggling loudly.  
  
"That looks so ugly!!" She laughed.  
  
I pushed the doors open slightly to see what was going on. Seifer held a balloon with a weird picture drawn on it. I could tell it was supposed to be a rabbit or bunny, but it looked ridiculous.  
  
"That hurts you know..." Seifer laughed along with her as he handed her the balloon. She gladly took it.  
  
"Tank ywoo mister." She said in a childish voice.  
  
"Does the little girl want another balloon?" Seifer asked, looking down at Selphie. He was about to reach for another balloon, but Selphie smacked his hand lightly.  
  
"Hey! Stop wasting the balloons! We're not even supposed to blow them up until next week! You're gonna have to buy a new bag of balloons!" She grabbed the bag of balloons and hugged them protectively, while jumping away from Seifer.  
  
"You should stop fooling around and get some work done... there's so much to do!" Seifer sat down and began hammering something.  
  
"Me?" She pointed to herself. "You're the one who started it!" She took out a balloon and playfully threw it at Seifer's head.  
  
Seifer stood up, pretending to look angry. "Oh that's it. You're gonna get it missy." He began chasing Selphie around as she shrieked with joy/horror/amusement.  
  
I backed up slightly and let the doors close. [This wasn't punishing Seifer... he is actually enjoying it!] I clenched my fist together. [At this rate, Seifer's never gonna leave!]  
  
I continued to back up till my back hit into the wall. [Maybe I can humiliate him with this tomorrow...]  
  
* * * (Seifer)  
  
(Thursday)  
  
I entered classroom five minutes earlier than my little 'session' with my mediocre Instructor, just like she had told me to, late last night. I didn't ever expect her to call me, but she did. At midnight. She called me to tell me to meet her in the classroom the next morning. She probably did that on purpose, waking me up.  
  
I stepped into the room to be greeted by Quistis' 'welcoming smile'. I knew something was up with her. I could just see the gears in her head rotating as she plotted something against me.  
  
"Seifer, you're early for once." She continued to smile. She made me want to slap her or something to wipe that smile off. But I couldn't, nor would I.  
  
"Just happy to see my 'favorite' Instructor." I stretched the word to let her know how sarcastic I was being.  
  
"Aww, how touching." She pretended to wipe a tear from her eye. "So how was the decorating job yesterday?"  
  
"And why does my 'favorite' Instructor care so much for her student all of a sudden?"  
  
"You're 'favorite' Instructor has always cared for ALL her students."  
  
"How forgetful I am! Of course my 'favorite' Instructor cares for ALL her students... that is... if ALL her students are named Squall, and act like Squall, and dress like Squall." I smirked at her. I knew I hit a sensitive spot. Her expression changed so drastically, it nearly made me laugh.  
  
"You make it sound like your 'favorite' Instructor likes a certain person named Squall." She managed to hiss between her clenched teeth.  
  
"I only speak of the truth. I say what I see." I continued to smirk. I knew it was pissing her off. [You can't win your little game... I'm always one step ahead of you...]  
  
"I guess you need to check your vision again. It seems to be a bit blurry." She stood up to leave, but I blocked her path.  
  
"According to you, then EVERYONE needs to get their eyes checked..."  
  
She glared at me. "I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
"Oh, I'm pretty sure you do, Instructor. I remember you always favoring a certain student... always giving him a little extra credit... and Instructor, I'm not the only one who can see it..." Quistis tried to walk around me, but I wouldn't let her pass. I was going to make her suffer... after what she's doing to me... I just had to.  
  
"I did no such thing."  
  
"You keep telling that to yourself Instructor... but everyone knows that you had a thing for Squall... and I know that you still have that thing for him."  
  
"I DO NOT!!!" She screamed.  
  
"Deny it all you want. But I know you love that puberty boy. Every time you see him, you want him. I know Instructor. I know you do. But you can dream on, 'cause he's never going to be yours. He would never be with someone like you... Rinoa has him wrapped around her finger... something you would never be able to do."  
  
I was about to go on, but she slapped me in the face... really hard. My face stung a lot afterwards, but I only smirked. This was getting on her nerves, and I loved it.  
  
"You're a mediocre Instructor, and ice bitch, cold-hearted..." Another slap. This time, it hurt even more.  
  
"I do not have time for your... your... immature behavior!" She pushed me aside roughly, which nearly made me fall over. Next she stormed out of the room and into the elevator.  
  
Near the doorway, I saw someone's blue duster flutter by. [Rinoa... she must have overheard everything...] A devious smile crept on my face. [This is going to be interesting.]  
  
* * * (Rinoa)  
  
I crept into a hidden area on the second floor, near the classroom. I crouched down and hugged my knees. I always had that strange feeling that Quistis might have liked Squall... but in front of my face, Quistis was so kind and nice to me... I never actually thought it might have been true. But now... now that I overheard her and Seifer talking... there's no doubt about it.  
  
[Quistis... why did you have to lie to me...?] Tears fell from my face as the thought of my 'friend' loving my own boyfriend. In the corner of my eye, I saw a figure walking out of the classroom, most likely Seifer.  
  
[Quistis... why did it have to be Squall...? Why couldn't you have fallen for someone else...? He's mine... and there's nothing that's gonna make me give him up. There's no way I can do that... I won't let you have him...]  
  
* * * (Quistis)  
  
I was pounding my fist into my desk yet again. My hand had just started to heal from last time, but now, I was going to make it bleed again. [Why did that bastard have to do that to me?!] I screamed in my head. I kept telling myself over and over again that Seifer was the one who I was mad at... but I knew, deep down, it wasn't him. It was myself... [Why do I love a person I can never have? I'm such a fool...] I stopped pounding into my desk. If I continued doing that, it would get me nowhere. It was completely pointless and useless.  
  
I threw myself on my bed, face down. Tears began falling from my eyes. I never did cry often, it just wasn't my style. But I just felt like I had too. Absolutely had to.  
  
[Why do you persist to love that man...? Why do you even bother to try?] I asked myself.  
  
"Because he is the only one that keeps me going..." I whispered, but the voice in my head argued back.  
  
[That is not true, deep down, you know you can never have him. You know that. That's why you're waiting for someone better to come along... but you feel like you don't have enough strength to wait for that someone, so you persist to clutch onto Squall...]  
  
"There is no one for me."  
  
* * * (Friday)  
  
I walked into the cafeteria to be greeted by Seifer's smirking face. It pissed me off every time I saw that. But I kept my demeanor and just smiled at him.  
  
"Good morning Seifer."  
  
"Instructor, have you decided to feed me for once?"  
  
"Unfortunately, not. Today is supposed to be a physical training day, but because of your current state, and what Dr. Kadowaki said, you shouldn't be doing anything too strenuous. Of course, that doesn't mean you can't clean up." I continued to smile.  
  
His expression changed slightly, almost unnoticeable. But I knew he didn't want to clean up. And I was sure to make it hell for him... too bad I couldn't get him a toothbrush to do this...  
  
"Since the cafeteria is closed because of personal reasons from the cafeteria lady, you will have the honor of cleaning this place up. First, you'll start with cleaning the windows until they are spotless. Next you will wipe the tables and chairs until they are spotless. Afterwards, you clean the walls, and lastly, you will scrub the floor. She said not to go into the kitchen, so that area is restricted. Over there," I pointed to the sidewall. "Are your cleaning tools. I will be checking up on your once in a while. You will only stop when you finish. Is that clear?"  
  
"You can't possibly make me do this! This is..." I cut him off before he could finish.  
  
"Oh, I can make you do this. And you will do this. As your Instructor, I have the power to." I continued to smile at him.  
  
"This has nothing related to do with my SeeD exam!" He continued to argue.  
  
"Oh it does, Mister Almasy. This shows clearly how well you listen to instructions, which you are doing quite poorly in. And it also stretches your muscles."  
  
"Bitch." He muttered as he took off his trench coat and threw it onto one of the chairs.  
  
"Mr. Almasy, didn't I tell you to watch that language of yours before?"  
  
"The only reason you're doing this to me is because I stated the truth yesterday. You're getting back at me for telling you what your heart wants." He grabbed the window wipers and cleaning fluid.  
  
"You don't know what my heart wants Almasy. For all you would care, it could be wanting you..." Realizing what I had just said, I quickly continued to cover up the mistake. "Of course, when that day happens, hell would have frozen over." I turned around and strode out the cafeteria, leaving Seifer behind with his string of curses to me.  
  
I walked towards my dorm. [Might as well get some sleep while I have the chance to...]  
  
* * *  
  
My nap was rudely interrupted when a loud knock - - actually, more of a pounding - - came from the other side of my room.  
  
"I'm coming, I'm coming." I groggily threw my covers off and opened the door. I was surprised to see Rinoa pounding at my door.  
  
"Come, come!!" She shouted, pulling me from my room.  
  
"What...?" I asked, in my leave-me-alone tone.  
  
"You have gotta see this!" Rinoa began dragging me down the hallway. "It's so funny! I can't imagine him actually doing this!" I quickly grabbed my whip, just in case.  
  
"Who? Doing what?" I was beginning to wake up completely.  
  
"You'll see, come on!" She continued dragging me until we neared the cafeteria. There was a crowd surrounding the doorway. And then I snapped awake.  
  
"Shit!" I shouted as I raced into the crowd. [Seifer... you had better not have gotten into a fight. Struggling through the crowd, I finally made it through the doors. Inside, the whole area was a mess. Chairs were thrown everywhere, the window wiper was broken and in pieces, and cleaning fluids were spilt everywhere. In the center of this whole mess were two men holding their gunblades tightly. "What the hell happened here?!" I tugged some of my hair. The cafeteria lady would not be happy with this if she found out.  
  
"Miss Trepe!" A former male student of mine began. "Commander and a few students were walking here when one of the students started making fun of that traitor. I mean, he looked so ridiculous wiping those tables!"  
  
"And then what happened?!" I grabbed his collar tightly. I hadn't meant to, but I was getting really frustrated at this.  
  
"Uh... the traitor couldn't take this insults so he threw his own insults back. Commander got pissed off and attacked him... and that's how it started..." The boy managed to stumble out.  
  
Just then, Rinoa managed to push through. "Isn't this exciting? MY Squally's gonna kick his sorry ass." She stretched the word 'my' so much it made me wonder if she knew I liked him.  
  
"This has got to stop." I ran into the room, careful not to slip on any of the fluids.  
  
"Go back to where you belong lap dog! To hell!" Squall shouted as he tried to slash Seifer with his Lion Heart. Seifer easily dodged it.  
  
"Shut the fukk up Puberty boy." Seifer quickly thrashed his Hyperion forward, managing to give Squall a small slash on the chest. His leather jacket was cut through and a red streak of blood could be seen.  
  
"STOP THIS AT ONCE!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. Neither of the two listened to me. Angrily, I cracked my whip in the middle of their fight, causing the to stop.  
  
"Commander! This is no way you can behave yourself!" I scolded at Squall. He gave me a death glare and then stormed off. Rinoa probably followed him.  
  
"And you..." I hissed, glaring at Seifer. "Clean up with whole damn mess."  
  
Seifer opened his mouth to say something, but I wouldn't allow it.  
  
"I don't want to hear another word from you. Just shut up. If you say another word, that's another hour of cleaning." Angrily, I turned around to the shocked students behind me. "Leave at once. This is none of your business!" I practically shouted. The students jumped slightly, but hurried off.  
  
"I leave you here for an hour, and you turn this place into a total disaster..." I gave Seifer a disgusted look and stormed out myself. "This is pissing me off." I was heading towards Cid's office.  
  
* * *  
  
"Headmaster, I do not think I can handle this anymore!" I stormed past the doors. Xu wasn't at her desk, so I could easily do that.  
  
"Handle what Quistis?" Cid turned around in his chair to face me.  
  
"Tutoring that... that..."  
  
"Seifer?" He would not let me curse him.  
  
"Yes! I cannot go on with this anymore Headmaster! I'm sorry, but I just can't!" I shouted angrily, and I took a seat in front of him.  
  
"Quistis... why not you think of this like a SeeD mission? You haven't had one lately..."  
  
"Then consider it failed." I replied immediately. There was no way I can put up with him any longer.  
  
"Quistis, you know that would go on your personal record..."  
  
"I don't care. I can't stand this anymore!"  
  
"Quistis please... if Seifer passes the SeeD exam, then that will get you one step closer to renewing your Instructor's License." Cid began to bargain.  
  
[Why couldn't you just GIVE me my license? Then I probably would.] "I don't know sir... if I continue this, Seifer might be the death of me."  
  
"Nonsense! You're the only one who can handle him. So it's set then? You're going to continue tutoring him and we'll consider giving your Instructor's License." Cid was seemingly talking to himself than to me.  
  
I bit my lower lip. [If I don't accomplish this... Cid might never let me get my license back...] "I guess..."  
  
"Very well then. You are dismissed Miss Trepe."  
  
I saluted him and walked out of his office. [Quistis Trepe, what have you gotten yourself into?]  
  
* * * (Seifer)  
  
It seemed like I had been cleaning for the whole day. I had just started to wipe the tables when puberty boy had to 'show off' his skills. Of course, he was the one who got hurt. Then I had to re-clean everything because of the mess he left. And when I finished that, ice bitch told me she couldn't see her damn reflection on the tables, so I had to clean them again. And when I finished that... she 'accidentally' dripped ketchup on the floor while she ate her hotdog. Afterwards, when I had just put everything away, that mediocre Instructor decided to leave her handprint on some of the windows. It was all just a stressful cleaning day.  
  
I wanted to get something to eat, since I didn't eat for the whole day thanks to Miss-I-love-puberty-boy, but I couldn't find any food. The cafeteria had none in the kitchen all the vending machines were sold out, and Balamb was too far to drive for me at the moment. I was too exhausted. Besides, the restaurants in Balamb would probably be closed. So now, I had to stick with crappy, instant noodles. I only had one package, it wasn't filling, but I guess they were better than nothing.  
  
My hands looked gross too. Thanks to all the fluids I had to touch all day long, it looked like my skin was bubbling. It sickened me. However, the worst was having Miss Bitch insulting me the whole time I had been cleaning without allowing me to say one word back at her. I don't know how long I can last any more. The only reason I came back here was to be SeeD... and after that, I'm going to another Garden... this is hell for me.  
  
I fell backwards unto my bed, just about to go to sleep, but my phone rang loudly beside me. I ignore it, hoping that the caller would just give up soon, but after the eighth right, I got fed up and answered it.  
  
"What do you want?" I snarled into the phone.  
  
"Seifer, go get me some drinks." The voice on the other line commanded. I knew who it was already.  
  
"Instructor, I am not your personal slave."  
  
"Seifer, I told you before, during the week you do whatever I say, regardless if we have session or not. It's 11:46pm so you still have to do what I say. Now be a good little student and go get me some drinks." She said sweetly. "Make sure it's enough for three people for the whole night." She added.  
  
"There is none in the cafeteria, and the vending machines are sold out." I stated.  
  
"Then go to Balamb and get some at the convenience store!" I heard giggling in the background.  
  
I slammed the phone down and got up from my bed. I pulled on my jeans and grabbed a trench coat, not bothering to pull on a shirt. I took some money out of my wallet and headed straight out the door.  
  
* * * (Selphie)  
  
I sat in Quistis' room with herself and Rinoa. We had planned this little slumber party ages ago, but didn't find time to do it until now. Quistis and Rinoa were giggling like little schoolgirls, but I just sat cross-legged, and a little emotionless.  
  
"That's so mean..." I finally spoke out after hearing Quistis' conversation with Seifer on the phone.  
  
"But it's... so funny!" Rinoa wiped a tear from her eye.  
  
"And not to mention he deserves it!" The two burst out into another fit of giggles.  
  
"You know... he's human too... he's got feelings..."  
  
Rinoa and Quistis both stopped laughing, almost simultaneously. "Selphie, when you say that... it ALMOST seems like... you know... that..." Rinoa began, bust Quistis finished.  
  
"You like him..." Quistis said it more of a statement.  
  
"In a way..." I began, and bit my lower lip. I was afraid my friends would shun me because of who I cared for.  
  
"So you do?" Rinoa accused.  
  
"No, no! Not THAT way. I mean, Seifer can be such a nice guy sometimes. He's actually really sensitive too... I like him as a brother... nothing more."  
  
"Whatever." Rinoa said emotionless, then quickly changed the subject. "Hey! Let's play truth or dare!" She grinned mischeviously.  
  
"Sure." Quistis replied.  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Okay, I'll start first... Quistis! Truth or dare?" Rinoa pointed a finger at Quistis.  
  
"Uh... truth..."  
  
"Do you like anyone?" Rinoa was still smiling. To me, it seemed like something was up with her, but I didn't care for it too much.  
  
"I... I..." Quistis stuttered. "I... don't know."  
  
"It's either a yes or a no."  
  
"... yes then." It took Quistis almost eternity to say those two words.  
  
Immediately Rinoa pounced on her. "Who is it?! Who is it?!"  
  
"You only asked IF. Now it's my turn. Okay... Rinoa."  
  
"Dare." She gave Quistis a look as if to say bring-it-on.  
  
"Um... alright... I know! When Seifer comes here to bring our drinks, you'll give him the money back... BUT... in a very flirtacious way!" Quistis smiled slightly.  
  
I couldn't believe this. First they make Seifer bring them their drinks, next they'll tease him. It seemed like it was just on time as there was a knock on the door. "That was fast..." I whispered to myself.  
  
Rinoa grinned deviously as she opened the door. Seifer thrust two six packs to Rinoa. She quickly took them and placed them on the floor. Seifer was about to leave, but Rinoa pulled him back.  
  
She tucked a few bills in his jeans. "Thanks... hot stuff." She winked at him.  
  
He gave her a disgusted look and was about to leave again, but Rinoa threw some bills at his chest, which fluttered down to the ground. "That's tip for ya."  
  
Seifer angrily stormed off, not bothering to pick up the money on the ground. Quistis and Rinoa burst out into laughter.  
  
"I can't believe you two..." I said rudely as I bolted out the closing door towards Seifer. I had to jog a bit before I caught up to him.  
  
"Seifer... are you okay?" I asked.  
  
"Fine." He replied, in a strange monotone I wasn't used to hearing him say.  
  
"Look, I'm sorry for what they did..." He cut me off.  
  
"It's not your fault they did that." He slipped his cardkey into the slot and waited for the door to slide open.  
  
"Seifer..." I began, unsure of what to say. The door slid open and Seifer stepped in, I was about to step in, but I thought it might be better if I didn't. "May I come in?"  
  
"Suit yourself." Seifer flicked on the lights.  
  
I walked in and was surprised to see a clean, organized room. It wasn't typical for males to have such a nice room. "It's so... clean."  
  
"I like it that way." Seifer pulled the bills from his jeans and threw them on the desk.  
  
"Seifer, you shouldn't take no crap from them." I jumped onto his bed. It was very soft and bouncy. It was a lot better than my own bed.  
  
"You think I want to? Quistis is making my life a living hell..."  
  
A michevious smile formed on my face. "I know exactly how to get her back."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's Note - okay.. hella. this was a frikkin' long chapter... and if you ask me... it seems a little boring too! . dammit... piece of... shiet... okay... okay... enough swearing... I guess it's up to you whether you thought this was boring or not... please tell me if you thought it was... but don't worry... I *think* better things will happen next chapter... I think it would be so much better than this one... but again, it's up to you to decide.  
  
And I'm very sorry if there are lotsa mistakes/errors in this chapter... I would proof read it (I barely ever do) but I'm just too tired... I've been working on this chapter for far too long... it seems like forever!! Ack!! Okay, okay... well I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed and/or read this! Thanks again!  
  
Hopefully next chapter would be up soon... but I doubt it... school will be starting soon for me again... ack... evilness! 


	3. Revenge

Author's Note: First off, like usual, I'd like to thank my reviewers... without you guys, there wouldn't be this chapter! ^-^ Thanks a bunch! I love you all! =) Secondly I'm terribly sorry it took me so long for this chapter... my bad... sorry!  
  
Hotaru9 - I'm not too sure about the humour... because I usually just write what I first think of... lol.  
  
Vegakeep - I'm glad you found last chappy funny ^-^ I try my best to make each and every chapter interesting!  
  
Setobsessed - I agree! Selphie is such a sweet person! She is so kewl and cute too! The reason Quistis is so mean in this fic is because (I know I said this last chapter somewhere) she lost her Instructor's License and can't get it back, and she also lost Squall to Rinoa. If I were in her position, I'd be pretty darn pissed off... so I figured that I should make her seem mean to be more realistic.  
  
The Omega Weapon - After waiting so damn long for me to write this chapter, you'll finally read what Selphie has on her mind! ^-^ At long last! And thanks for reading my little blurbs ... glad to know it's not there for no reason! ^-^ Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Quistis88 - Well, here it is! Chapter three! I'm not sure if this chapter will be as funny... but I hope you like it!  
  
Satanic-Purple-Onion - Of course I remember METATTEM!! I'm so, so, so sorry! I never knew you had this name too! . My bad! So very, so sorry!! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing my fics! Really, appreciate it! And also, thanks for reading my little, near-to-pointless blurbs! Once again, truly, deeply, very sorry! Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Quisty Almasy - Thank you! ^-^ Selphie seems like that kind of person to understand everyone... I hope I have her in character tho!  
  
Rose - I'm definitely continuing this fic! I'm hoping that there won't be too many chapters... but each chapter would be longer... so it may take me a while to finish this... Thanks for reading and reviewing!  
  
Lady Aliena - I'm impressed that I wrote this much too! Usually I procrastinate so much... it's not even funny ( One day I'll suffer the consequences... right...? I'm extremely glad that you can see Selphie fitting the role she has... I try and hope that each of my characters fit their part. Thanks for reviewing!  
  
DarkBlueHated - Well, maybe you're right that not a lot of fics start with Quistis being the only one that thinks Seifer is innocent... but I have read many Seiftis' lately... so I wouldn't really know. I guess you have to wait to read how I will 'salvage what little... anything... that Quistis and Seifer can have' ^-^ It's not nearly as impossible as you think... lol But then again, I am the author... so I have to power to change things! Muahahaha! Okay... I sound like a psychotic freak... so I'll just shut up.  
  
Jennifer - What's Selphie gonna do? Well, now you can find out! =) btw, thanks for reviewing!  
  
*Phew* okay. With all that done... shall we continue? Last chapter left off with Quistis and Rinoa teasing Seifer... Selphie couldn't stand it and goes after him. He wants to get Quistis back for all the trouble she's making him go through, and Selphie has a 'brilliant' plan... but we don't know what the plan is... or if it is all that 'brilliant' ...  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
(Irvine)  
  
The moment we stepped into this hyne-forsaken place, we knew something was terribly wrong. Even for such a new and small town, there wasn't a single soul wandering around in the streets. The fact that it was mid-afternoon didn't calm this situation either. I was beginning to wonder about the de-railing of our train... maybe it wasn't an 'accident' after all. It almost seemed like someone was trying to stop us from coming to this place.  
  
"I don't like the looks of this place..." Zell started. He lost his energetic tone on the second day we were left wandering the plains around Galbadia after our train mysteriously de-railed. "This place looks so gloomy... I mean, look at it!"  
  
Zell was right. Even though the sun was shining fiercely just seconds ago, this place received little of it. It was as if the sun feared to enter this place. Something strange amiss.  
  
Huge stonewalls surrounded the whole town. The only way in and out of this place was through the large iron gates at the front. Actually, they were more like huge doors with few peek holes. Every building in the town was made of stone, dark gray stones. They were all lined up perfectly, side-by-side. Each house was symmetrical to the one beside in every single aspect. The only building that looked remotely different was the one straight ahead. It was larger than the rest, but other than that there was no other difference.  
  
Almost all of the houses had a sign hanging from its roof. The words printed upon the wooden signs were basic, normal, bolded letters. Not only that, but each had only a single word on it. Items. Weapons. Restaurant. Café. Theatre. So plain... so alike.  
  
"Ugh..." A voice behind me grumbled.  
  
I turned around to face my squad team. It consisted of five people. Zell, two other A class SeeDs, a B class SeeD, and myself. Mark and Tony, the two A class SeeDs were holding up Gerad, the B class SeeD. Gerad was wounded after our train got wrecked. It wasn't because he was inexperienced, but because he dodged an attack for Tony. Mark was a short blonde man. He was 23, but looked more like 18. Tony was a tall Asian guy. He was 17, but looked a lot older. Gerad looked somewhat like Squall. Although he was a little shorter, and had auburn hair.  
  
"We better get him to the inn and heal up." Zell stated. I nodded my head in agreement.  
  
"Alright. We'll head to the inn first and I'll give more mission details there. Now which way is it to the inn?" I turned around and began walking down the road. This place was so linear.  
  
"That's odd..." Zell began. "How come most of these places are closed?"  
  
"What do you mean?" I asked, turning to look at the door of the Weapons shop. Nailed upon the door was a sign with huge black letters. 'Closed Forever'. I turned my head to look at the other shops. The only one that seemed to be 'open' was the small restaurant, even then, it didn't look to welcoming.  
  
"There's the inn!" Zell pointed straight ahead to the taller building.  
  
It wasn't long before we were pushing the wooden door to the inn open. Inside, it wasn't too decorative. A few chairs and tables sat on the right side of the door, the stairway up was straight ahead, and the receptionist was to the right.  
  
I walked to the receptionist and leaned on the desk. I tilted my hat slightly and gave her a warm smile.  
  
"Hey there..." I began, but she immediately cut me off.  
  
"500 gil for one room, one night." Her voice was a bit shaky, something seemed wrong about this place.  
  
"We'll take two." Zell said from behind me.  
  
"Here." She tossed two sets of keys to Zell. I handed her the money, still smiling at her, but wondering what was up.  
  
"Let's go." Zell pulled on my sleeve.  
  
We continued up the stairs and easily found our room. Both rooms were small and cramped. There were two beds in each room and a small little window that barely let any sunlight in... not like there was much anyway.  
  
Mark and Tony laid Gerad on one of the beds. Tony began tending his wounds. I closed the door and locked it. The rest of us began searching the room for any bugs/devices that might be hidden. Without any luck, we concluded that there was none.  
  
"Okay, this is a secret mission..." I began as I pulled out the folder Headmaster Cid had given to me earlier. "We go in as aliases. Zell, you are now Lance Thompson. Mark, you are Kris Parker. Tony, Yemenen Suzake. And I am Edgar Samson."  
  
"What's up with all these weird names?" Mark asked as he took out his laptop. He was our computer genius.  
  
"I'm surprised you haven't figured it out Mark..." A grin crept on my face. Mark was usually the first one to decipher a code.  
  
"Hey, I don't get it either. Did Headmaster just make up these names from his bald little head??" Zell blurted out, slightly offended.  
  
I laughed. "Zell, if you didn't get it, then it's alright. We figured you were a little slow to these things..." I joked. Everyone laughed while Zell playfully tackled me.  
  
"Mr. Dincht, what Mr. Kinneas meant was that since Mark's the computer whiz here, he should have figured out the code hidden within our names." Tony replied.  
  
"Oh! I get it now!" Mark suddenly blurted out. "They start with the last letters of our name! Zell has 'l' as the last letter, so his name begins with 'L'!"  
  
"Well done Mark. So if any of you ever forget whose name is whose, remember that little code there. Okay. I'll continue de-briefing you. What headmaster didn't say before, was that... we have pretty much zero clues on what is going on here. I'm sure you've all noticed that something is wrong here. Considering there was nobody on the streets, most of the stores are closed and that receptionist was very shaky. The only thing we do know is that a 'Mr. Withers' clued us into about this place. However, we're not even sure if this 'Mr. Withers' is a real person." I whispered, careful to make sure no one else heard this. [Or if he is helping us...]  
  
"How are we going to accomplish this then? I mean, it's damn near impossible!" Tony whispered harshly.  
  
"We're only here to find out what is wrong. Once we do, we're off the mission. Mark anything?" I turned my head to face Mark who was hacking off on his computer.  
  
"Well, there's no security cameras or security at all in this inn. And I looked up 'Mr. Withers'. There is no one in the town by that name."  
  
"You don't suppose this is a trap do you?!" Zell cried out loud.  
  
"If it is... then there is definitely something going on here." I whispered back, afraid to know the truth myself.  
  
"Sir..." Mark whispered out.  
  
"What..." I said the word slowly.  
  
"I think there is something going on here."  
  
"What do you mean?" I took a step towards Mark. His eyes were glued on his laptop screen. I was afraid of what he saw on it.  
  
"Well... according to this... there have been 23 deaths during the past three days." He whispered, his eyes finally peeled off the screen and looked at me.  
  
"What if we're next...?" Zell whispered.  
  
* * * (Seifer)  
  
(Saturday)  
  
"I am definitely not doing that!" I shouted at the petite girl sitting on my bed.  
  
"Why not? It'll be fun!" She pouted like a little child. She began bouncing on my bed and I watched her brunette flip-outs bounce up and down.  
  
"That is worse than hell for me." I replied, while sitting on the chair by my desk. I looked at the clock 12:01am. If Selphie was going to stay here any longer, I probably wouldn't get any sleep at all. But thank hyne I didn't have to see Miss Bitch tomorrow... actually more like today AND tomorrow.  
  
"I thought you wanted to get her back!" Selphie stopped bouncing and crossed her arms. She gave me a slight glare.  
  
"I do... but I am not approaching it that way!"  
  
"Why not?!"  
  
"No. Just no."  
  
Selphie gave out a loud sigh. "You just don't get it! You see, if you listen and do every single thing Quistis tells you to, then she'll go crazy!"  
  
"Selphie, that doesn't make sense. Little miss mediocre Instructor does not go crazy over something as simple as that. Besides, if I do give in to her, she'll know that she has won."  
  
"I know it'll work! I've known her long enough to know this! Hear me out first! See, if you listen to every single thing Quistis tells you to do, and without getting her back for it, she'll go crazy! First, she'll think that she won the little game between you two. So she may tease you more, BUT, if you keep it up, Quistis will begin to think something is up. She'll believe that you have something REALLY big planned up for her! Then she'll became all paranoid! Because, every little thing you do, she'll think there's something that comes with it!" Selphie laughed.  
  
I gave her a puzzled look. "Aren't you her friend?"  
  
"Yes." She smiled brightly at me.  
  
"Then why do you want to help me make her paranoid...?" Suspicion crept to me.  
  
"Well, you know, she's gone way past that line in teasing you... she should get what she deserves." Selphie said it out all too quickly, which made me wonder if something else might be up. "So you wanna do it that way?"  
  
I bit my lower lip. "I guess you have a good reasoning..." [This is going to be hell.]  
  
* * * (Selphie)  
  
I woke up as the first rays from the sun beamed into my room. I never used my alarm clock. I prefer waking up the 'natural' way... if that's what you call it. I peeled off my blanket and looked at my calendar. Twelve more days till my birthday! I beamed with joy and jumped off my bed.  
  
"I wonder what they're going to do for me this year..." I said a loud as I pictured what my friends would do for me on my birthday. Last year, Irvine made them pretend they forgot my birthday, and at night, when I sadly returned to my room, they all jumped out at me. It was one of the best birthdays ever!  
  
I skipped to the bathroom and grabbed my yellow toothbrush. I slipped some toothpaste on it and vigorously began brushing my teeth. Afterwards, I pulled off my cute yellow bunny pyjamas and jumped into the shower. After a short shower, I quickly slipped on another yellow outfit and took out my curling iron. I dried most of my hair and began curling the tips like I usually did.  
  
After a short while, I skipped out my dorm room and towards Seifer's dorm. It was still quite early in the morning, and there were few people wandering the halls.  
  
Once I was at Seifer's door, I quietly knocked on it. I didn't want to wake anyone else up, but I was really excited. One because it was almost my birthday and the two because I was going to cut Seifer's hair! He didn't know it yet, but I was going too. It was too long anyway. I personally thought he looked better with shorter hair.  
  
"Seifer! Seifer! Seifer!" Each time I said his name, I said it louder.  
  
"What?!" A voice growled from behind the door.  
  
"It's me Selphie! Lemme in!" I continued to knock on his door. Suddenly, the door slid open revealing a really disheveled Seifer.  
  
I pushed past him and he closed the door, all the while yawning.  
  
"Why are you up so early?" He asked as he crawled back into his bed. "Didn't you just leave 10 minutes ago?"  
  
I quickly pulled his blanket off him. He growled slightly and pulled the blanket back. He was a lot stronger than I and managed to get it back.  
  
"Wake up sleepy head! Wake up! And besides, I left 7 hours ago." I began poking him on the side to wake him up.  
  
"Stop it." He moved away from me slightly. "Stop it!" I continued to poke him. "STOP IT!" He sat up straight and glared at me.  
  
"Took you long enough to wake up. Now go shower! Go, go, go!" I pulled on his arm towards his bathroom, but he wouldn't budge. "Please Seify?"  
  
"I told you not to call me that." A low growl could be heard.  
  
"Okay, I won't, but only if you get up now!"  
  
He groaned slightly. "Why do you want me up anyway?"  
  
"Because! Now go shower! Hurry! Please?"  
  
Very reluctantly, he got up from his bed and walked into his bathroom. He closed and locked the door behind him. While he showered, I made his bed and took out a pair of scissors.  
  
It wasn't long until Seifer came out of the bathroom. He was dressed in his usual ensemble. His hair was still wet, and he didn't bother to slick it back like he did before. I held out the scissors and opened and closed them.  
  
"What are you doing...?" A tone of wonder in his voice.  
  
"I'm gonna cut your hair!" I exclaimed happily.  
  
* * * (Quistis)  
  
I woke up with a piercing headache. After Selphie left, Rinoa and I began laughing and joking and drinking. I never drank much before. But we managed to finish all the cans Seifer had brought us.  
  
"Ugh... never am I going to drink that much again." I popped some aspirin into my mouth and swallowed them dry. Ever so slowing, I crawled out of bed and into the shower.  
  
It wasn't long until I was fully dressed, out the door, and walking towards the cafeteria to be greeted by Squall. It was strange, because he was all alone. No Selphie. No Rinoa. [No Rinoa? Maybe still sleeping...]  
  
"Morning." I took a seat across from him. "Where's Rinoa?"  
  
"Still sleeping. You guys must have partied all night." He replied in his monotone voice. Sometimes I wonder if he can speak with a different pitch.  
  
"Sorta. But it was only Rinoa and I. Selphie left the party early." I didn't want to mention that it was because of Seifer.  
  
"Hmm. I'm going to the Training Center for a while." Squall got up and left.  
  
I sighed. Strange. Most of the times when I was talking just with him, I only think him as a friend, but when there are other people, I always want him to myself. I just don't know what I want anymore. Maybe it was a sign that I was getting over him. Sometimes I hope it is.  
  
* * *  
  
(Seifer)  
  
"Come on! Come on! Hurry up! You're wasting valuable shopping time!" Selphie tugged on the sleeve of my trench coat.  
  
"Why did you have to drag me along with you?" I hesitated.  
  
After Selphie barged my room to cut my hair -- -- which I must admit she did a good job -- -- she forced me to come to Balamb and go shopping with her. What a nightmare. I easily pulled her back and sat down on one of the benches.  
  
"Seifer! You're no fun!! I want to go over there!" She pointed to a costume store. "I need an outfit for next week! Pretty please?"  
  
"Why don't you just make you own outfit? I'm sure you could make something better than what that store has." I was getting really annoyed and grumpy.  
  
"Aww! That's so sweet of you to think that!" She smiled brightly at me. Truth was, I wasn't actually saying that because I thought she could, but rather I just wanted to go back to my dorm and sleep some more. "But I don't have time!! Hurry! Hurry! I have a class to sub for soon!! SEIFER!" She practically screamed which made everyone nearby to turn and face us, wondering what all the commotion was.  
  
"Fine. But this is the last store and then we go back."  
  
"Okay!" A little grin formed on her face. What I didn't know was what she was planning for me. What a nightmare.  
  
* * *  
  
(Monday - 6:00am - Training Centre)  
  
(Quistis)  
  
I flipped through the neatly typed pages that Seifer handed me. The title read, "The Importance of Obeying Instructions". I silently chuckled in my head as I remember his expression when I told him to write me this 10 page, typed essay yesterday.  
  
I looked up from the papers to face him, he turned his head away from me to avoid any eye contact.  
  
"Well Seifer, hope your wound has healed. Now, it's Monday which means today you will have physical training." I tucked the papers into my bag and pulled out my whip. "Later today, the garden will be landing soon. We will be hunting for some Ruby Dragons with Instructor Lee's class. Until then, we'll train here. Understood?" I cracked my whip for a little more effect.  
  
"Yes Instructor." He replied in a monotone voice.  
  
[That's odd... I was expecting some kind of snide remark from him... maybe he's realized that he can't outsmart me].  
  
We walked around the training area about three times before we found our first enemy. The big bad T-Rexaur.  
  
"Seifer, I don't want you to use any magic spells against this. I'll back you up when you need it."  
  
"Yes Instructor." Again, no rude comment.  
  
I stood away from the battle and watched Seifer fight the immense beast. I don't know why I hadn't noticed Seifer's fighting style before, nor do I know why I was noticing now, but every move he made was a swift, fluid motion. Almost ghostlike. Something seemed different about him, but I didn't know what. I didn't know what was going on, but it seemed like I had opened my eyes a little wider. My perspective of him was different than when he first came back. Maybe it was when I caught him with Selphie yesterday. I saw something different in his eyes. Almost like he was happy, truly happy.  
  
My thoughts were interrupted when Seifer came flying towards my feet.  
  
"Need help there?"  
  
"No." He replied coldly, like Squall used to do to me. "I've handled worse." I heard him whisper.  
  
"I bet you have." I said to him, hoping to embarrass him, but it didn't work. He ignored me.  
  
"Die." He whispered as he gave one final blow to the monstrous beast. It fell on its side with a loud thud. The ground trembled in fear below and around it.  
  
"Well done Seifer." I was expecting some kind of remark, but he gave me none.  
  
After a short while of searching, a Snow Lion crept up to us.  
  
"Alright Seifer, this is the last fight in here. Only use magic based attacks."  
  
The Snow Lion when down faster than I expected, but I didn't really care. We were off hunting Ruby Dragons now. We bother headed off to the front to meet up with Kianne and her class. We walked in silence there which gave me the creeps. [I know, I just know Seifer's planning something against me]  
  
"Quistis! How nice of you to join us." Kianne waved at me as we neared her group.  
  
Her class only consisted of 8 people. Of course, this was only one of her 3 classes. These were the group of people Seifer would be with on his SeeD exam. Her class was already in groups of four. Two girls and two guys in a group. Her students were quietly talking amongst themselves. So well behaved.  
  
"Kianne, I want you to meet Seifer. Seifer, this is Instructor Lee. You will be sent on your SeeD exam with her class." I motioned at the students.  
  
"Pleased to meet you!" She stuck out her hand with a warm, welcoming smile.  
  
Seifer didn't return her greeting with a handshake, but rather just a nod. She seemed slightly shocked by his rude gesture, but continued on.  
  
"Well then, the three of us will be a group. Okay class!" She clapped her hand twice to get their attention. What shocked me was that when she did that, they all lined up in a line facing her. Posture straight, all eyes on her. "Now, we all know that Ruby Dragons are tough, but remember, this is just training, so don't sweat over it! You're all your groups. Remember we'll meet back here in 4 hours, so let's head out, and kick some dragon ass!" All the students shouted with joy and headed out.  
  
"Kianne, you know you're not suppose to use that kind of language." I tried to lecture her. I would have never said something like that. Maybe if Headmaster knew about this, he might think that I was a better instructor.  
  
"Quistis, don't be so naïve. You and I both know that these students swear all the time." She laughed slightly.  
  
In the corner of my eye, I saw Seifer expression change slightly. Had he grown a liking to this woman?  
  
* * *  
  
"So how's training coming along for you Seifer?" Kianne asked as she shot down another Ruby Dragon.  
  
I had never trained with her before, but now that I have, I started envy her. She was so skilled with her double handguns. I never knew anyone else who fought like her. She knew how to fight single handedly and with guns. Pretty, smart, and skilled. How I wish I could be like her.  
  
"Average." Seifer replied while wiping the blood off his gunblade. We've been training for an hour, and Kianne was the only one trying to make conversation.  
  
"Is it hard to use a gunblade? I heard those things are damn heavy! I'm surprised your arm isn't bulging with muscle! I mean, lifting that weight on one arm all the time... your right arm should be bulging and your left should be puny!" She laughed. Strange thing was she was able to make Seifer chuckle slightly. "Hey, you wouldn't mind if I try using your gunblade would you? I'll switch you weapons for the next battle."  
  
Seifer's eyebrow rose slightly. My eyes widened slightly. What was this girl thinking? She had never used a gunblade before! She would surely lose any fight using that. And besides, what were the odds of Seifer letting her use his weapon!  
  
"I'd rather not." Seifer regained his composure after the little shock.  
  
"Oh come on! Please?" She gave him a little puppy dog look which strangely reminded me so much of Selphie.  
  
Seifer hesitated for a while. "Just one battle."  
  
I was shocked. Never would I have ever thought Seifer would let anyone, much less a girl he met an hour ago, use his weapon. He must be out of his mind. Seifer handed her Hyperion and she tossed him her handguns.  
  
"Wow. This is heavy!"  
  
A slight feeling of jealousy crept into my soul.  
  
* * *  
  
(Seifer)  
  
"There better not be a scratch on it when I get it back." I stated. I don't know why I just let her use my own Hyperion. But that look she gave me. It reminded me so much of Selphie. Maybe if Selphie had asked me, I would have let her used it as well.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll treat it like my own baby." Kianne stroke the blade.  
  
Immediately after she said that, a Ruby Dragon roared at us.  
  
"This is gonna be fun!" Kianne raised Hyperion.  
  
It was strange. Because what she had said earlier, it was as if she never seen a gunblade before, but here, she held it like she was an expert at it. The weight of it didn't seem to bother her that much.  
  
"Sweet! Let's kick some ass!" Kianne was the first attack it. With one swift motion of the gunblade, she managed to make the beast holler in pain. "This is awesome! I gotta get me one of these soon!"  
  
"Damn..." I heard Quistis mumble in amazement.  
  
[Damn is right. She's good!] Quistis was next to attack, she cracked her whip at the monster. She left a long bruise along the torso of its thick skin. The Ruby Dragon whipped its tail at Kianne, which caused her to fly backwards a few feet.  
  
"Oh, you are going to pay for that!" She shouted as she got up, her thigh was bleeding, but she didn't seem to mind it.  
  
I shot a few rounds with the guns, it was different to use them, but it was fun shooting simultaneously one round after another. No wonder Kianne chose these weapons, it suits her personality quite well. Kianne pointed the gunblade at the monster threatenly.  
  
"Any last words?" The beast roared loudly. "No? Okay, meet your doom, bastard!" She shot one last bullet from my Hyperion, but what amazed me most was the bullet became ice. It pierced into the Ruby Dragon. The dragon stood there a moment, before ice began forming all over it. Soon it was encase in ice and fell over on its side. When it crashed onto the earth, the ice shattered in shards and flew everywhere around it. Luckily, none flew to us.  
  
"Shit..." Quistis muttered under her breath.  
  
"Wow. That was fun! Wasn't it?" She turned to us, but we only gave her a shocked expression.  
  
Quistis was the first to say anything after that. "Curaga!" A blue light flowed from her delicate hands towards Kianne's bleeding leg.  
  
"Thanks!" She smiled warmly at Quistis who gave her one back.  
  
"Here Seifer!" She tossed me back my weapon and took hers back. I was still shocked.  
  
* * *  
  
(Tuesday)  
  
(Cid)  
  
I was rubbing my temples. It was early in the morning and I had little sleep for the past 5 days... ever since I sent Irvine and Zell to Galbadia. This was just a headache. For 5 days, I've been trying to contact them, but with no luck. Our communication was cut. And I couldn't think of another way to get a hold of them without going to the town they were in. Something could have happened. And I didn't want to know what might have.  
  
"Cid, you should rest. You've had no sleep lately. There dark circles forming under your eyes." Edea's sweet voice soothed my headache.  
  
"But dear, I can't sleep. I still haven't gotten a hold of them. How do you expect me to sleep? I've sent two of my finest students onto a mission I thought they could easily accomplish, but now I fear the worse... Edea, please tell me what I can do?"  
  
"Cid, I'm sure they're alright. I just know it. They are in a way my children. I can sense it. They're still alive." She reassured me. But I could tell there was a sense of uncertainty in her voice.  
  
"I hope they are. I really do."  
  
Just then, Xu burst in.  
  
"Headmaster! It's Irvine! I just received his contact on the communicator! Come quick!" She rushed back out. Edea immediately ran out after. I got quickly and followed.  
  
Xu rushed behind her desk and pushed the communicator button. Sure enough Irvine's voice was calling out.  
  
"Headmaster! Headmaster!" He seemed to be shouting with an exhausted voice between static from the communicator.  
  
"Irvine!" Edea shouted into the box, but the line went dead. She began shaking the little box. "Irvine! Irvine! Come back!"  
  
Xu looked up to me and gave me a horrified voice. Maybe something terrible happened to them. I began breathing loudly. [Irvine... Zell...Tony... Mark... Gerald... please be alright]  
  
* * *  
  
(Zell)  
  
"Dammit!" Irvine shouted. "Lost communication again!"  
  
"Maybe the communicator's busted. Just try again later." I replied, trying to calm him down. His hair was a complete mess from all the stress we've been having lately. Since we came here, we found no clues. Nobody was helping us either. Every person we asked (basically just three people. The receptionist downstairs, the manager of the restaurant and his daughter) didn't give us any clues. Nobody seemed to know who 'Mr. Withers' was, or they just didn't want to talk to us.  
  
"Try again later?! TRY AGAIN LATER?! That's what the hell I've been trying to do for the past million days!!!" He began banging his head on the wall.  
  
"Whoa! Calm down! You know what you need? A little food! Food always makes me feel better!" [Except if the situation includes Seifer...] "Come on! Let's go to that restaurant again! Damn, that place serves awesome food!"  
  
Without letting him answer, I dragged him out the door.  
  
* * *  
  
"Anything new, Mark?" I asked as we sat down at the table Jana lead us too. Mark pulled out his laptop like usual.  
  
"No, nothing still."  
  
"The usual? Or something new today, Lance?" Jana smiled at me.  
  
"The usual please and thanks." I smiled back at her.  
  
As she walked away, Gerald leaned towards me and whispered, "She totally likes you!"  
  
Gerald. Class B student. Top of his class. Expert with picks and locks. My term for him, thief. Basically he was our thief for the mission.  
  
"Shut up Ger, she totally has it for me!" Tony elbowed him.  
  
Tony. Class A student. Excellent with magic. Sorta of a ladies man. Something like Irvine, only better. He can actually get the girls. He's the magic user and healer of the team.  
  
"Really? I haven't noticed." I looked at Jana and her retreating form as she entered into the kitchen. I looked around the small restaurant and noticed something different. There was actually someone else in here today. The person was dressed in a black cloak... as if they were hiding something. Their identity, or possibly a secret. I didn't like the idea that much.  
  
"Oh shit!" Mark swore under his breath.  
  
"What?! What?! What is it?!" Irvine whispered harshly.  
  
"Look here." Mark turned his computer screen towards us. There was a picture on the screen. It was a building. On top of the picture where big bold words. Glencoe Academy School. Strange thing was, it was located in Glencoe. A town. We were in.  
  
"I've never seen this building before." Gerald whispered.  
  
"Who cares about that now, read, read!" He scrolled down slightly to a bunch of text. Irvine began reading it aloud for us.  
  
"Glencoe Academy School. The best and only school in Glencoe. Send your children here to study academics... blah... blah... blah." Irvine scrolled down even more and continued reading. "May 17. Glencoe Academy School has been temporarily shut down due to recent disturbances in our beloved town."  
  
"Disturbances?" Tony asked.  
  
"I'm guessing it's talking about the mysterious deaths and disappearances of the townsfolk." Mark replied.  
  
Irvine continued reading. "July 2. Glencoe Academy School officially shut down. That's odd. Why was it officially shut down? And how come we've never seen this building before?" He scrolled back up to the picture of the school. It was brightly colored and seemed like a happy place. It would have stood out if it were in this town.  
  
"Gentlemen, your food." Jana came back with our food.  
  
"Excuse me, do you know about this?" Irvine pointed to the picture on the screen.  
  
"Oh. That." Her tone changed into a sad, tragic one.  
  
"You know something about this?" I asked.  
  
"Ya. Anyone here would know about it."  
  
"What can you tell us about it?" Irvine egged on.  
  
"My little brother used to go there. It used to be such a wonderful place. He loved it there! Same with all the other children who went there."  
  
"Children? There are actually children in this town?" Gerald accidentally blurted out.  
  
"Ya. This town, used to be so lively. There used to be so many people here..." Irvine interrupted.  
  
"Where are they now?"  
  
"Hey! Man, that's rude! Let her finish telling her story before interrupting like that!" I shot at him.  
  
"They died. I'd rather not talk about it." Jana hurried away. I saw a tear fall from her eyes.  
  
"They died." Irvine whispered. "I think we're getting closer."  
  
In the corner of my eye, I saw the cloaked figure look up at us. Something about the person was scaring me a lot.  
  
* * *  
  
"Man... that's good food there. I have to admit... it's better than hotdogs." I rubbed my stomach as I was slumped down on the chair. After eating, we all came back to the inn. Mark was probably hacking away at his laptop in his room. Tony was probably trying to hit on the receptionist again, who knows what Gerald was doing, and Irvine was taking a shower.  
  
"Can't wait to get back to that restaurant and eat there again." Suddenly there was a knock on the door.  
  
I got up and walked to the door. "Who is it?"  
  
"Room service." The person on the other side said.  
  
"Hey Irvine, did we order and room service?" I called out as I unlocked the door.  
  
"They have room service here?" Irvine replied.  
  
"Oh shit..." The doorknob turned from other side.  
  
* * *  
  
(Wednesday)  
  
(Selphie)  
  
"I am not wearing this." Seifer stated flatly.  
  
"Why not?" I pouted.  
  
"Okay, first Quistis makes me rewrite that fukkin' essay by hand and now you're making me where this tomorrow? No. I've had enough!"  
  
"Puh-leze! It'll be fun!"  
  
"No. I'll just where my trench coat."  
  
"And who are you dressing up as?" I continued to pout.  
  
"Myself."  
  
"No, no, no! I want you to wear this! Come on! Try it on!! NOW!!!" I pushed him into my little bathroom along with the outfit that I had gotten him.  
  
"Selphie! Not a chance!"  
  
"Just try it on so I can see! Please?" I gave him my puppy dog face. Seifer swore under his breath. "Thank you!"  
  
After a short while, and a string of curses from Seifer, he came out dress in his costume.  
  
"See! Not bad. Not bad at all!" I walked around him to see how it looked.  
  
"I look like an idiot." He replied from under the helmet.  
  
"No, you look fine! I knew this would be the perfect size for you!"  
  
"Why do I have to dress like this?" He took of the helmet and held it to the side. I must admit, he looked pretty damn hot in that position.  
  
"It's a costume party! Of course you have to dress up for it!" I smiled at him. "Besides, you'll have to be my date for tomorrow night! You wouldn't want me to be all alone at a party with so many people now do you?"  
  
"You could have plenty of dates. I don't want to go."  
  
"SEIFER!!! I really want you to go!" My eyes were watering slightly. Something I learned to do when I was with Irvine. Most guys can't stand it when girls cry. I was hoping Seifer would be the same.  
  
"Ugh... fine. Fine! Just don't cry."  
  
"Tank ywoo mister!" I gave him a tight hug.  
  
* * *  
  
(Thursday)  
  
(Seifer)  
  
"Okay, Seifer, today we'll be helping Selphie with the finishing touches for the party." Quistis said standing in her firm posture. Lately she's been telling me to do such stupid things. Tuesday she made me scrub the bathrooms with a toothbrush, and she told me to write another 10 page essay for Wednesday. Yesterday, I handed her my assignment, which she threw in the recycling bin without even looking it over. She also made me kill the monsters roaming near the front and build a fence so that the students could come out tonight without any worries of monsters attacking.  
  
"Yes Instructor."  
  
"Seifer stop that. I know you're only doing this to piss me off. Well let me tell you something. You're wrong. It's not working!"  
  
[Oh, but it is. You're already getting annoyed. But it's been hell for me. Maybe Selphie is right. She is started to get a little paranoid]  
  
"Come." She motioned me to follow her... like a master would to a dog. I gave her a dirty look behind her back, but obediently followed her.  
  
* * *  
  
"Quisty! Seifer! Thanks for coming! There's just a bit more to do! But with you're guys' help, I'll be able to finish just on time!" Selphie shouted to us as she was putting up some banners.  
  
Selphie was already dressed in her costume... and damn, she looked fine. She was dressed as a jester, and wore a jester's hat with the bells on it. Her half black and half white costume clung to her body nicely which showed off all her womanly curves. Her back was towards us, and I couldn't help but look down at her ass.  
  
"Seifer, stop drooling." Quistis remarked quietly to me and walked to help Selphie.  
  
[You're just jealous it's not you that I'm looking at]. How I desperately wanted to get her back, but I bit my tongue and held it back.  
  
"Need some help?" Quistis helped her hold up the banner.  
  
"Oh, thanks a bunch! Seifer, could you start blowing up some balloons? And don't draw anything on them this time!"  
  
[Aww, don't you like my drawings?] I wanted to reply, but I also didn't want Miss Bitch to know I had a soft spot. I walked up to the helium pump and pulled out a balloon from the many bags. It wasn't long before Selphie was standing beside me. I'd blow up the balloons, she'd tie them and Miss Bitch would tie the ribbons on them.  
  
Selphie leaned towards me and whispered, "Don't forget, you're wearing the costume and you're my date! Don't stand me up!"  
  
"Stand you up? Never!" I whispered back. [Damn, did she read my mind?]  
  
"Hey Quisty, you have a date tonight?" Selphie leaned back.  
  
"Uh... I don't think I can make it..."  
  
[Why not? No puberty boy to go with you? Awww, my poor mediocre Instructor!]  
  
"Quisty! Why not?!"  
  
"I have... some things... to do. And besides I have no costume." I could tell she was lying. She never could lie good.  
  
"What could you possibly have to do? And don't worry about the costume... I have plenty that you can choose from! You gotta come! It'll be so fun!"  
  
"I'll think about it..."  
  
[You just don't want to go and see Puberty boy with Rinoa... but I don't blame you... I don't either]  
  
* * *  
  
Eight o'clock. The party started an hour ago. I have been dressed in my costume an hour ago. I didn't want to go, but I did promise Selphie that I would... Suddenly there was a knock on my door, probably Selphie wondering why I hadn't come yet. Another knock.  
  
"Coming." I pushed the 'open' button and the door slid open. It wasn't Selphie.  
  
"Do you want to go with me?" Kianne asked just as she noticed I was already dressed for the party.  
  
She was dressed as a witch. She had fake spider webs in her hair and wore dark make-up to match. Her outfit was dark and on the front had a huge black widow spider on the chest area. Her stomach was showing through a diamond cut hole and the sleeves were long, sorta witchlike, just like the bottom of her outfit. It dragged along the floor. Despite the gloomy look, she was gorgeous.  
  
"Uh... sorry, I sorta already have a date."  
  
"Oh, well you weren't at the party, so I thought you didn't have a date."  
  
An awkward silence.  
  
"Here, I'll walk with you there." I offered.  
  
"Sure." She smiled and turned around waiting for me. [Hmm, backless too] I thought, referring to the outfit.  
  
Once we got to the party, we went our separate ways. She went to her friends while I looked for Selphie. However, Selphie was the one who found me.  
  
"You're LATE!" She had her hands on her hips and tapped her foot on the ground impatiently, as if waiting for an excuse. But I gave her none. "Oh well! Who cares! You're here now! And that's all that matters." She smiled brightly at me. " I wanna dance! Let's dance!" She pulled me onto the dance floor. "Hey, how come you're not wearing your helmet?" She asked.  
  
"I didn't like it."  
  
"Hey! You're not dancing!"  
  
"I don't want to dance."  
  
"You were late! So now you have to listen to me! Everything I say, you must do. Got it?"  
  
"Am I to grovel before you if you say so then?"  
  
"I'm not that mean!" She laughed.  
  
The song ended soon and became a slow song. Selphie placed her hands on my shoulder, but someone came and whispered something into her ear.  
  
"Oh! I'm so sorry Seifer! But I have to do something really quick. I'll be back soon!"  
  
"So you leave your date all alone?" I joked.  
  
She laughed. "I'll be back! Don't you worry!"  
  
* * *  
  
The song was nearing to an end before she came back.  
  
"Look, I'm very, truly sorry Seifer! But there's some stuff I have to handle... but I'll be back." She turned her head around as if looking for someone. "Quisty! Come here!"  
  
Quistis walked towards us. She was dressed as a cat. In tight black clothes. Even though I dislike her a lot, I must admit she looked pretty hot in the outfit.  
  
"Here, Quisty, take over for me. I'll be back." Selphie quickly placed her hands on my shoulders and mine on her waist and ran off.  
  
"Selphie!" Quistis shouted out, but her voice didn't travel far because of all the noise around us. I was about to pull my hands away, but a familiar song started to play. Beethoven's Love Story. This was the song Rinoa and I used to dance to. It was Our song. Once the song started I pulled Quistis close to me and wrapped my arms around her. She was probably surprised, but I didn't care. I was only thinking of Rinoa. I closed my eyes and held her closer. It brought back memories. Memories when Rinoa and I used to be together. Halfway through the song, Quistis moved back away from me. I opened my eyes and saw Kianne tapping her out.  
  
"May I?" She smiled sweetly.  
  
Quistis moved away and walked off. Kianne wrapped her arms around me and moved close to me. I wrapped my arms around her, hoping to relive my memories of Rinoa.  
  
"I love this song." She whispered to me. "My fiancée and I used to always dance to this song. It was Our song." She paused momentarily. "But now he's gone... he's been gone for two years. He died." She whimpered slightly.  
  
"I'm so sorry." Was all the comforting I knew how to give.  
  
"No. It's not your fault. My fiancée... he was a wonderful person. He cared for me a lot. Even though sometimes he would never show it. I loved him a lot." She laughed a little. "I remember when I first me him. He seemed like a rude, arrogant, cocky bastard. I hated him. He would insult me a lot. I was like his favourite person to tease. Probably because he knew I would either cry or get upset over it. I would always try to get him back, but he would always throw them back into my face. Eventually I got to know him better. I learned he was only like this because of a troubled childhood. I tried helping him. Somehow along the way, I fell for him. At first, I thought, 'This would never work. He'd never fall for me...' but... I was wrong."  
  
I felt some tears fall onto my neck and shoulder.  
  
"Sorry..." She sniffed. "You know, you look a lot like him. When I first say you, I thought you were him..."  
  
The song ended.  
  
"Excuse me..." She pulled away from me and rushed off. Probably towards the bathroom.  
  
[He sure sounds like me...]  
  
* * *  
  
(Friday)  
  
(Quistis - 1300 hours)  
  
I stretched my arms and yawned. I haven't slept so peacefully in days! Seifer has probably waited for me for hours by now! But I didn't care. I got up from my bed and took my time getting ready before arriving at the Training Center. Just in time to see Seifer knock down a Wendigo. He noticed me and walked up towards me.  
  
"You're late Instructor." He said while wiping the sweat from his forehead.  
  
"Oh!" I held my hand in front of my mouth as if I had forgotten something. "I must have forgotten to tell you that I cancelled today's classes! My bad! You must have been here for hours!"  
  
Seifer's expression changed. I could tell he was pissed off with me.  
  
"Here, I'll make it up to you. Have you eaten anything yet?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Okay, my treat." I gave him a sweet and innocent smile.  
  
I led him to the cafeteria and bought him some food, all the while still smiling sweetly.  
  
"Seifer, did you have fun yesterday?"  
  
"That's none of your business, Instructor." No stretch in words. No sarcasm. Just monotone.  
  
"You were holding me pretty close, maybe you like holding me..." I leaned towards him. "Or maybe you were thinking of something... perhaps a memory of your past?"  
  
A short pause.  
  
"What if I told you it was the first one you said?" He forked some friends into his mouth.  
  
"I'd say you were lying to me." I stopped leaning towards him. "Besides, you haven't given up on Rinoa yet." [And you haven't given up on your precious Puberty boy] I mimicked him in my head.  
  
He didn't say anything to me, so I figured that I was right and hit a nerve. [Seifer, have you had enough torture yet? Can't you just leave Balamb and give us our peace back again?]  
  
"So I was right? Ha! I knew it!"  
  
He stopped eating and dropped his fork. He finally lifted his head to face me. Something was different about this gesture, because he looked me right in the eyes. I looked into his pools of emeralds and saw only seriousness in them. I wanted to look away, but his eyes were so alluring. It captivated me. If those eyes didn't belong to Seifer, they would have captured my soul.  
  
"No Quistis," He began. He didn't call me 'Instructor', 'mediocre', or even 'Miss Bitch'. He had called me by my name. Something he rarely ever did... except when he was dead serious. It made me afraid. "It's because I like you."  
  
My mouth dropped open.  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
Okay, this took me one heck of a long time to write. My bad! I'm so, so, so sorry! I know apologizing won't help, but I really, truly hope that none of my loyal reviewers are mad at me. I still love you guys! Please don't be mad! So I'll promise you this... (and hope to keep it) The next chappy will come out sooner okay? Anyway, whether you want to comment on my story, or yell at me for the lateness, reviews are always welcome! And if you really want, you can email me! Thanks a bunch! (Don't worry, this fic isn't dead yet...) 


	4. Misery

Okay, Chapter four is on its way! See I told you I would have this done a lot faster than chapter three!! =) At least you don't hate me!... or at least, I don't think you hate me... anyway, summer school's starting for me... so I don't think I'll have much time to work on this fic (again) but, I'll try my very best... absolutely very best to get next chapter uploaded for you guys! Love you guys so much!! Without your wonderful reviews, this fic would never have existed! Thank a bunch! Now, I'd like to reply to your wonderful comments!  
  
Lady Aliena - I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who takes such long breaks! =) But I still feel bad... so I'll try to get this fic finished soon k? Ya, this different POV's wasn't my original plan to write this fic... in fact I was planning to base it all on either Quistis or Seifer's POV... but then I realized that so much would be left out if I did that... so I decided to test this way! I hope it's all right... but either way, thanks for the review! Really appreciate it!  
  
anime-diva - Hiya! This fic isn't really supposed to be a cutesy fic... but if you see it that way, I'm not stopping ya! =)  
  
Quistis88 - I'm glad you're not mad! And you're probably one of the few people who bother reading my little blurbs... lol! I hope these pointless blurbs don't waste much of your time! I didn't think that last chapter was all that great... but I'm glad you liked it! It means a lot to me!  
  
aoshi-loves-misao - I'm so happy that you love my fic!! Well, I hope I didn't leave you waiting too long for this chappy... but here it is! Btw, I agree, Seifer is sexy ~.^  
  
Lovelace - Well, when you get to read this chappy, you'll see if Quistis falls for it or not! And I'm really sorry how all the characters in my ficcy are. I know they're OOC, but my excuse(s) are... 1) my fic takes place a few years after the end of FFVIII (or at least, I think it was that...), so their attitudes have changed a little... but most importantly, 2) I haven't read any FFVIII fics or anything of that such for like, a very long time, so I tend to forget things... also... 3) I didn't actually finish the game ... and so, I don't know how the characters really are... I'm very sorry! And my last excuse... is that I haven't written/thought about this fic for such a long time, so now I don't remember what was going on, or how the characters are... so I'm pretty sure some (if not all) the characters will go a little more OOC... once again, I truly apologize for my lack of knowledge/ability to write with such accuracy! But I do really appreciate your comment! It only helps me write better (at least, I think it should...). Also, I'm glad you like the story so far! And I made the chapters long for a reason... I didn't like those short chapters that most fics I read a while back had, and I wanted my readers to enjoy a long read (cuz I enjoy them... most of the time)... and also, I know I stated this in one of my previous blurbs, but I was hoping to make this a long story, but with few chapters... you know what I mean? One question... what does 'Ja mata ne' mean? I'm very slow to these things... ...  
  
PrincessPeach - To clear things up, this is a Seiftis! I'm sorry the story (thus far) does not make it seem like it, but I'm making this a Seiftis... so don't worry about it!  
  
thugstra - Thank you very, very much for reading this fic! And also loving it! ^.^ I hope I didn't leave you hanging for too long! I promised to get this chapter out sooner than the last, so here it is! I hope you enjoy this chapter!  
Of course I know Kianne! I'm the one who created her! ^.^ She's not that old, but she's older than the rest. In this ficcy, Seifer's about 20, 21ish and Kianne is about 23, 24ish. I hope that clears that up! Oh, and yes, Seifer's costume was a 'knight' sorta symbolizes his shattered dream... but it was just a costume... so his 'dream' of being a knight might not actually be his true dream... you get it? I tend to go on and on about something, but end up not knowing what I actually meant... lol! Once again, hope you enjoy this fic! Btw, I think Seifer/Quistis are better too!  
  
VegaKeep - I don't know what it is, but somehow your reviews always make me smile... actually, all my reviews do... but that's beyond the point... How do you manage to do that? Maybe you should review more often! ~.^ Lol, juss joking! It's up to you whether you want to review or not... I was sorta worried this fic died too... but then I was reading over the reviews for this fic over again, and then I realized that I shouldn't let my wonderful reviewers down, so I continued this! Aren't you proud of me? Cuz I am =) So you think 'Selphie is up to something regarding a certain warrior and teacher'? well lemme me tell you this... it's our little secret aite? ~.^ wait... we already had a secret... so this is secret number two! Lol... well, I can't tell you anything about that... but you just gotta read the fic to find out if she actually is 'up to something' or its just your imagination! Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Ghost140 - Well here's chapter 4! I hope you enjoy and thanks for reviewing!  
  
Okay! Now that that's all done! (yay!) Let's continue with the story... shall we? Recap of last chapter... umm... oh right! Seifer's trying a new plan to get back at Quistis... but it doesn't seem to be working... Selphie and Seifer are getting closer in their BROTHER/SISTER relationship (sorry, gotta clear that up). Back with Irvine and Zell, well they haven't had much luck finding out what was going on in that little town... but their scenario ended off with Zell opening the door to a person who claims to be room service... but there is no room service in that little hotel!! Last chapter ended off with... well, just read and you'll see!  
  
- -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - --- -- - -- - -- - -- - -- -  
-- - -- - -- - --  
  
(Quistis)  
  
"It's because I like you."  
  
My mouth dropped open.  
  
"Damn..." I paused for a moment. "He is SO fine!"  
  
Seifer turned around to see who I was talking about. He placed his hands on the table with a small thud and pushed himself up from his seat.  
  
"Excuse me, Instructor." Without letting me say a word he stormed out the cafeteria, my eyes following him until he was gone. Reassuring myself that it was safe, I began laughing.  
  
"Seifer, you can't possibly think I would fall for that!" I said aloud while wiping a tear from my eyes. "You're so predictable! I knew you couldn't hold in your 'innocent' act for long! I've known you for far too long to not know that! After all, I did teach you before. You underestimate your 'favourite' Instructor." I got up and threw out the remains of Seifer's lunch, still laughing. Some people in the cafeteria were looking at me strangely, but I couldn't care less, it was worth it to embarrass him like that.  
  
* * *  
  
(Irvine)  
  
"Ugh..." I heard a voice beside me groan.  
  
I opened my eyes to be greeted by darkness. The only light that passed into this room was through the window, and it had the curtains draped over it. I had a pounding headache and I couldn't remember what I was doing here.  
  
"Who's in here?" a voice across from me called out.  
  
I tried to stand up, but my wrists were tied behind the chair I was sitting on a chair and my legs were tied to the legs of the chair.  
  
"What the hell?" Another voice beside me yelled out. "Why the hell am I tied up?" The voice was unmistakable.  
  
"Zell?" The voice across called out again.  
  
"Mark!" Another voice spoke out.  
  
"Gerald... does that mean everyone else is here? Irvine? Tony?"  
  
"Accounted for." Tony responded.  
  
"Still alive." I finally said. My throat seemed dry and my voice sounded rasp.  
  
"So you're done roll call now, may I interrupt?" a more feminine voice asked before the lights flicked on.  
  
I had to close my eyes before they could adjust to the light. When I opened my eyes again, I saw the five of us, each tied up to a chair, but still looked unharmed. A cloaked figure stood in front of us. I began to remember what had happened.  
  
I recall Zell asking me if we ordered room service before hearing him swear. I called out to Zell to ask what happened, but he didn't answer. So, I jumped out the shower, wrapped a towel around my waist and opened the bathroom door. When I did, I saw Zell lying on the ground and a cloaked person sitting on the bed. The person pointed a gun at me, and then... then... I was shot.  
  
"Who the hell are you?!" Gerald screamed.  
  
"The person from the restaurant." Zell calmly stated.  
  
"Oh, so much for the formal greetings. Yes, I am the one from the restaurant, and yes, I know what you all are doing here, and no, I'm not going to kill you. I'm not the one who will." She replied.  
  
"Ugh... how long have we been here?" Tony asked while struggling to free his wrists.  
  
"Two days. I guess I must have drugged you guys a little too much."  
  
"What do you want with is?" I spat out at her.  
  
"Your help of course... but I didn't expect Cid to send so many people." She replied. "It's too dangerous. You guys are too noticeable."  
  
"Headmaster? You know Headmaster Cid?" Zell asked.  
  
"Know him? Of course I know him! You see, I'm the one who asked him for help!"  
  
"Then... you must be Mr. Withers!" Mark exclaimed.  
  
"Pretty feminine for a guy." Gerald mumbled.  
  
"That's because I'm not a guy." 'He' pulled back 'his' hood. 'His' chestnut hair tumbled down to 'his' waist. This 'Mr. Withers' character took off 'his' cloak to reveal 'his' curvy figure. 'Mr. Withers' was actually a woman. Her face was still covered with a piece of cloth, but her grey, dull, and cold eyes were revealed. Under her left eye, small scars could be seen hidden under the cloth.  
  
"What's with the 'mister' then?" Tony asked.  
  
"It's an alias. It's so I won't be found out that easily... just you like five boys... unfortunately you boys didn't keep your identities. Here's a tip juniors, on a mission, always keep your aliases, even when talking amongst yourselves... you never know if someone planted a bug near you." She lectured.  
  
"Okay, so why tie us up then?" I asked.  
  
"To get your attention."  
  
"Then let us go."  
  
"I can't... you see, you guys still don't trust me. If I let you go, then you'll attack me." Her cheeks moved up from underneath the cloth, which indicated that she was smiling.  
  
[Damn... she's good. I wonder is she's been in these kinds of situations before. If she has, then all the more reason that she should not be trusted]  
  
"Then tell us what is going on here and what you want us to do." Zell spoke out.  
  
"This town... it never used to be so... dead. It was once a lively, colourful place. There were lots of children here too. They used to all go and play on the streets, laughing a joking, as if nothing could ever stop them. They all went to the only school here as well. All the children loved it there. Then, one day, everyone in the school got ill. The children, the teachers, and the staff. They had to close down the school, and day by day, those who were ill began to die. Everyone in town was scared because of this unknown illness, so some decided to leave. They would pack up their bags, but before they could leave... they would mysteriously die." She slowly began untying us, while continuing this tragic story. "It was a warning. I know it was. The children dying was the first warning. Then those who wanted to leave was the next."  
  
"Wait... you said the school... but we've never seen any school around here." Mark pointed out.  
  
"Not anymore. It was burned down. It is now the cemetery. It wasn't burned down because of the illness... no. It was because somehow... all the dead corpses were found there. Everyone who had died was found there. They were all lined up, side by side. Arms folded across their chest. Each one holding a single black rose... with blood dripped on the petals. It was very frightful." She paused a moment, wiping a tear from her eye. "There are only a handful of people left alive in this dreadful town... but I know one of them is responsible for this. I just know. All these deaths is just a warning... something big is soon to happen. I just know it."  
  
"Then why need us to help you? It seems like you have everything under control." Tony stated flatly.  
  
"I need you to kill him."  
  
"Can't you? And are you sure it's a 'him'?" I asked. I noticed her playing with a bracelet, opening and closing the little case it had. But each time she did, it was the same thing inside. Empty.  
  
"My arms can no longer hold my weapon anymore. They are far too weak. Thus I cannot kill. Besides, what if he gets me first?" She replied softly.  
  
"Weapon?" Zell questioned.  
  
"I'm an ex-Galbadian SeeD member. I left after my last mission. The mission that has paralysed my life." She replied. There was a short pause before she spoke out again. "Anyway, I'll find out who it is, and you will kill him. Once this is over... something else is bound happen. This is just a sign... something big is going to come..."  
  
Before I could say anything, someone knocked on the door from the other side.  
  
"Excuse me, Mr. Thompson, you haven't paid for last night's stay." It was the shaky receptionist.  
  
"Ya, I'll be there in a moment." Zell called back.  
  
"We'll meet tonight at the cemetery." 'Mr. Withers' grabbed her cloak and was about to jump out the window when I grabbed her wrist.  
  
"And why should we trust you?" I hissed at her.  
  
"Because I'm you're last chance for survival."  
  
* * *  
  
(Friday Night)  
  
"You know, that chick really gives me the creeps! You sure we can trust her?" Gerald asked me while we walked down to the cemetery. Zell and the others were at the hotel. Just in case.  
  
"She's the only lead we got right not. Besides what do we have to lose?" I replied.  
  
"Our lives perhaps?"  
  
I chuckled. "Don't worry. Everything's gonna be all right." I tried to lighten the mood and reassure him... and myself.  
  
When we reached the cemetery, we saw a figure slumped over by the gate. As we got closer, it turned out that the person was 'Mr. Withers'. Her throat had been slit.  
  
"Shit. Now we have nothing!" Gerald swore to the darkness of the night.  
  
I looked her over and my eyes focused on her bracelet. It was slightly opened, as if someone didn't close it properly. I carefully lifted her arm and opened the little silver object on chain of the bracelet. Inside there was a little piece of paper with small, neat and legible writing scrawled on it. The letters 'ID' was on the top left corner of the paper. A line neatly crossed though the letters. It looked as if the person couldn't underline it properly or the person meant to cross it out, but didn't want someone who was reading it to know. I couldn't quite tell.  
  
"Not quite." I took the paper out and examined it.  
  
"30113 - NTSTRCP. What do you suppose that means?"  
  
"I don't know... but we're gonna find out."  
  
* * *  
  
(Saturday)  
  
(Selphie - Beach)  
  
"Hey Seifer, is it true?" I asked him as I took a seat on the warm sand. The sun was shining and the ocean seemed to glisten through the sun's rays. Seifer on the other hand preferred to stand... or maybe it was because he didn't even want to come. I had to drag him from his dorm.  
  
"What?" He asked seemingly in annoyance.  
  
"That... you like Quistis."  
  
Seifer began to chuckle. "Haha... no."  
  
"Oh! So it's just another one of those stupid rumours!" I said, somewhat relieved. "Did you know some of the students are going around saying that you said you liked Quistis? That is so ridiculous! Can't believe I had to question that!" In a strange way, I was hoping it was true... maybe Seifer wouldn't hate Quistis so much if he got to know her better... and vice versa.  
  
"I did say it." He stated out flatly.  
  
"What?!" I jumped up from the ground. I stood there looking at him, blinking often and thinking it over in my head. "Okay. So... you DON'T like Quistis... BUT you DID say that you did?"  
  
"Right to her face." A smirk crept on his face. A smirk. Something he used to always do... something I hadn't seen recently till now. It frightened me slightly. What if he became the person he used to be?  
  
"Seifer! That's bad! What if she believes it?!"  
  
"She doesn't... yet. If I can keep this up, then she will." He laughed wickedly. This scared me even more. Could this possibly be a sign?  
  
"That's terrible Seifer! How can you play with her feelings like that? You know what? I hope you can't keep up with this little charade." I replied rudely. As much as I did wish those two would learn a lesson through all this, I did not want my friends being hurt.  
  
"It's a win-win situation for me. If she believes it, then I can make her hang on the end of a thread and torture her. If I can't... then it would still embarrass her."  
  
"I can't believe you can be so cruel." [I thought you changed.]  
  
"Selphie..." I cut him short.  
  
"Oh no!" I exclaimed as I had just remembered something. "Shoot! I forgot! I'm helping Kianne tutor today!" I brushed the sand off my bum and started running towards the garden. After a few seconds, I remembered I left Seifer behind, so I stopped and turned around. "Wanna come with me?"  
  
"No..." Again I cut him off.  
  
"Please?" Without letting him reply, I ran back to him and grabbed his arm, dragging him along with me.  
  
It wasn't long before Seifer and I were in the library, watching Kianne help one of the junior class men how to read. After about five minutes of watching her in complete boredom, the kid asked if he could go. Thankfully Kianne allowed him to scurry out to join his friends.  
  
"You're late Selphie!!" Kianne frowned at me. "Oh hi Seifer." She turned her head to smile at Seifer, but when she faced me again, her frowning resumed. "So what's your excuse missy?"  
  
"I'm so sorry! I forgot!! I'll make it up to you and buy you some ice cream!" I apologized. Right after, I leaned towards Seifer and whispered, "She absolutely loves ice cream."  
  
"You had better!" She continued to frown at me, but soon she wasn't able to keep up the charade and began giggling softly.  
  
"So where's the next little kid who needs help?" I asked. I knew Seifer was getting annoyed, impatient, and whatever else because of the expression on his face.  
  
"I'm not sure, maybe she's late." There was an awkward silence before Kianne continue to talk. "Have you seen Irvine lately?"  
  
"He's on a mission." I didn't really want to talk about him. Maybe it was because every time I talked about him, I would think of our break up. Sometimes I still wish we were together, but other times I would just believe that we weren't meant to be.  
  
"Oh? So that's where he's been! No wonder he hasn't come to visit my class lately!"  
  
[No doubt to flirt.]  
  
"And it's not what you think either Selphie! Irvine comes to my class occasionally to help me grade papers or tutor some students." She said as if reading my mind. "He usually comes in when you're busy." She added. "How are things between you two now?"  
  
"Alright I suppose."  
  
"You know Selphie... Irvine is a really nice guy. And you do know how much he loves and cares for you... maybe you guys should talk things over with one another."  
  
I have to admit, Irvine was really fun to be around. And he did show me that he cared for me a lot. And I did like him a lot... but I guess jealousy caught up to me. I really didn't like it when he looked and flirted with other girls... although I did know that other girls meant nothing to him. And I guess it wasn't right for me to just break up with him and not even letting him know why... until a few months later... when Kianne had to tell him. I don't know what it is... but something was just pulling me from being with him again.  
  
"Well what about you? Didn't Zack ask you out?" I wanted to get off the subject of Irvine.  
  
"Uh... Zack? I'm not even interested in him! And besides, he's my student... AND not to mention that I'm six whole years older than him. I don't think it would ever work out anyway!" She responded, as if totally forgotten about our last subject.  
  
"It doesn't really matter if he's your student... nor about the age difference. It only counts if you both like each other... but since you don't... it okay. Besides Kianne... there are so many guys in the garden that like you!"  
  
"Like? I doubt it. Maybe adore, but not like. They only respect me as their Instructor." She replied.  
  
"Uh... more Trepies wannabes." I heard Seifer mumble beside me.  
  
"Well, what about you? Don't you like someone? I see you daydreaming sometimes! It must be about a guy you like!" I squealed, like a little girl gossiping with her friend.  
  
"Well... there is this one guy..." She mumbled. "Besides, I just can't get over Wilson... and my brother... I miss them both so much... sometimes I feel too shamed to be with someone else. I need to visit Autumn soon."  
  
Autumn Shrine. It was a shrine dedicated to all those poor innocent people who were killed during the short-lived Galbadia-Balamb war. Both Kianne's fiancée and brother died there.  
  
"Oh! You should have seen! There's this adorable little puppy I saw at Balamb! It's so adorable! Too bad garden won't allow pets... otherwise I would have got him!" Kianne exclaimed completely changing the topic.  
  
"Oh! I've always wanted a puppy! Ever since... since... um... ever since I could remember!" I chirped in happily.  
  
"I'm leaving." Seifer got up and walked out the door.  
  
"Seifer!" I called to him, but he ignored me.  
  
"Just let him go... he'd be bored by anything we talked about." Kianne was right. Seifer wouldn't care what we had to say about boys, or adorable things like puppies.  
  
"So who's this guy you like?!" I bolted back at her.  
  
Her face flushed red. "Well, he's kinda of a secret..."  
  
* * *  
  
(Squall)  
  
I stood in front of Quistis' dorm. Debating whether to knock or not. I had never been to her dorm, nor did I really want to. I had looked everywhere for her earlier, I just had to tell her. But now, here I was, in front of the door, unsure if I should talk to her. I just had this strange, awkward feeling that she liked me or something along those lines. Maybe it was just my imagination. Either way, I had been avoiding her as much as possible.  
  
I heard some noise from inside. I was afraid the door might open and she would see me standing in front here, like an idiot unsure of what to do. So I knocked.  
  
"Who's there?" She asked.  
  
"It's Squall. I have to talk to you."  
  
The door slid open. She was dressed in her usual peach battle suit attire. "What brings you here?" Her voice made her sound a little shocked.  
  
"The SeeD exam. It's been moved up." I stated.  
  
"To when?"  
  
"This week. Wednesday is the written and Friday is the mission."  
  
She didn't say anything. I suppose it was because she didn't know what to say.  
  
"Seifer." I spat the word out like venom. "He MUST be gone. If you can't get rid of him by the SeeD exam... then fail him. No matter. Fail him."  
  
"Fail...?" She said the word out slowly. "But what if he actually passes?"  
  
"He won't. You won't let him pass. No matter what." Did she not understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?  
  
"Headmaster." She eventually said something. It seemed like she was taking her sweet little time to process the information in her head. "What if he finds out?"  
  
"He won't. If worst comes to worst, I'll defend for you. But Seifer. He must be out of the garden and out forever by Friday."  
  
"Friday." She whispered the word.  
  
I turned around to leave. "Remember. He MUST go." I said to her without looking back.  
  
* * *  
  
(Monday)  
  
(Quistis)  
  
"Good morning Seifer. How was your weekend?" Mine was terrible. All I could think of was a way to fail Seifer without getting my ass in trouble.  
  
"Fine." He stated rudely. Perhaps he was still annoyed with me for laughing at him in the cafeteria.  
  
"Well Seifer, as much as I would miss you," Sarcasm was written all over my head. "I have to inform you that the SeeD exam has been moved up to this week. The written is on Wednesday, and the mission is Friday. You shall be writing your exam with Kianne's class. Understand?"  
  
He only snorted at me.  
  
"Seifer, since you failed last time due to poor listening skills, we'll have to work on that today. I want you to..."  
  
* * *  
  
(Wednesday)  
  
(Seifer)  
  
Monday and Tuesday had been hell for me. My Instructor decided that I needed to work on my listening skills when all she told me to do was scrub the bathrooms couple million times. But I didn't give any hell. I didn't talk back, I didn't curse, I didn't remark about anything, all I did was listen to her every command. I did not even have time to get back at her for Friday. I could not, I would not fail this again. This was the only goal I had left that I could possibly still accomplish. I would not let anything get in between my goal. Not even for a chance to get back at Quistis.  
  
"Good morning! I hope you all slept well!" Kianne announced in her usual cheery mood. "Well, we all know what today is... right? I hope you all studied, because you cannot fail this portion of the exam or else you cannot become SeeD this semester."  
  
I sat in one of the back seats, the rest of the students sat near the front. For a while I thought they were avoiding me, but I let that slip past my mind. Why would I care anyway?  
  
"This exam is three hours long. An additional half an hour will be given if necessary. Otherwise, you cannot leave this room for any reason until you have completed the exam. You may start..." She paused to look at her watch for a while. "Now. Good luck."  
  
I looked on the booklet that was supposedly my exam. I scanned through the first page. My first exam I did back when I was still that arrogant bastard was a lot different from this one. But this one was still easy. [This is going to be a piece of cake.] Besides, I got a hundred last time, how could I make a mistake on the written?  
  
About twenty minutes later I had completed my exam. It was too easy. I got up from my seat and walked to Kianne's desk. She was reading a book. As I neared her desk, I saw her little day planner. It was opened to this week. Strange thing was that Thursday was highlighted. When I got even closer, I noticed two words neatly written under the date. Selphie's Birthday. [So her birthday is tomorrow. Should I get something for her?] I handed my test booklet to Kianne. Surprise was written all over her face.  
  
"You're done?" She asked, taking the paper and flipping through. "Are you sure you answered every question?"  
  
"Yeah." I replied, about to leave.  
  
"That was quick..." She mumbled, glancing over my answers.  
  
"It was easy." I strode out the door, still wondering if I should get Selphie a birthday present. I never did before... but that kid was something different. She seemed... special to me. Though no one but Matron has ever been special to me.  
  
* * *  
  
(Thursday)  
  
"How was the test yesterday?" Quistis asked me. I didn't know why she seemed to start every day with a little idle chitchat, but it annoyed me.  
  
"Easy."  
  
"Let's just hope you don't fail tomorrow." She smiled wickedly at me.  
  
I clenched my teeth together. I hated when she said that. "Instructor, permission to leave session today." I stated flatly.  
  
"Why Seifer? Is it because you don't like me? Oh wait... I'm mistaken. You DO like me." She laughed.  
  
"Personal reasons." I wanted to go to Balamb and find a gift for Selphie.  
  
"Tell me."  
  
"Personal reasons." I said again.  
  
"Seifer, you know, if you don't tell me, I won't let you go."  
  
I didn't reply.  
  
"Okay, have it your way. Today, we'll be in the Training Centre. I want you to kill five of every monster in there."  
  
We headed into the Training Centre. It wasn't long before I was done my task. Sweat was sliding down from my forehead. Maybe if I took off my trench coat it would be easier for me. I didn't. I didn't want to. It was like a change... that I could not accept.  
  
"Instructor. Permission to leave session." I asked her again. It wasn't really of a question.  
  
"Like I said the previous three times you have asked. If you tell me, then I'll let you go." She sounded annoyed. Every hour I had been going up to her and asking her the same question, and every time she was giving the same reply.  
  
"Personal reasons."  
  
"Then my answer is still the same."  
  
I turned around back into the Training Centre. I was bored. I didn't want to train anymore. I wanted to leave. I walked to the Secret Area and stood there thinking for a long while.  
  
[What would I do if I make it into SeeD? Where do I go from there? Should I stay in Balamb? Or should I leave? If I left, what would be the purpose of making it into SeeD? But what if I fail? Where would I go from there? I would be forbidden to enter any garden. What would I do?]  
  
I gazed at nothing in particular. I didn't know what to do afterwards. It had come too soon. I didn't feel ready. I was unsure. I didn't know what I wanted anymore. I took out a cigarette from my pocket and put it between my lips. I didn't smoke often, but sometimes it was nice to have just to relieve myself. I was just about to light it, when Quistis walked into the Secret Area.  
  
"Didn't anyone tell you that smoking is hazardous to your health?" She pulled the cigarette from my lips and put it between hers. She grabbed my lighter and lit the cigarette. She took in a deep breath and blew out the smoke.  
  
I didn't say anything. She didn't say anything. We both didn't know what to say to each other. We just stood there, looking out of the garden. Not thinking. Not saying anything. Not moving.  
  
"Seifer," She finally spoke out. "you may go."  
  
I took this advantage to get away from this awkward situation and headed out. Before I left, I heard Quistis say something to me.  
  
"Hey Seifer... good luck tomorrow."  
  
Good luck. I didn't know why she said that just now. But I remembered she had said it to me before. 'Instructor, I hate it when people wish me luck. Save those words for a bad student that needs them, eh?' I had said that to her. 'Ok then... Good luck Seifer.' She said that back to me. Things are so different now... yet... it feels like nothing has changed.  
  
* * *  
  
(Thursday Night)  
  
(Selphie)  
  
I sat on my bed whimpering. It was my birthday today. And no one remembered. Except for Kianne, except she had told me earlier in the week that she couldn't do anything till this weekend. If Irvine had been here, he would have decorated my entire room, and made a surprise party for me.  
  
Two delicate tears fell from my eyes and onto my blanket. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. I sniffed and wiped the tears from my eyes.  
  
"Coming." I said out. I slipped on my slippers and walked to the door. I pushed the button and the door slid open. I was surprised to see Seifer. "Hey Seifer!" I smiled brightly at him, hoping he couldn't tell that I had been crying.  
  
"Selphie, you're not busy are you?"  
  
"No. Not at all. Come in!" I moved out of the way and he walked in. He was holding a big box. I wondered what was in it.  
  
The door slid close and I jumped onto my bed. Seifer just stood there.  
  
"So what brings you here?" I smiled up at him.  
  
"Here." He thrust the box at me.  
  
"What is it?" I tilted my head to the side as I took the box. It was pretty heavy.  
  
"Open it." He instructed.  
  
I obeyed his instructions and lifted the lid. Inside, there was another box, only that one had holes in it. Also, inside the box were little gifts wrapped up in birthday wrapping paper. Although the wrapping was quite sloppy, I was still happy. He remembered my birthday.  
  
"Happy Birthday." The words seemed foreign to him, and they came out sounding awkward, but I didn't care. He had remembered!  
  
I dropped the box on my bed and jumped to hug him tightly. He was very surprised and didn't know how to react. Soon, I let go of him and picked up the box with holes.  
  
"What's this?" I asked as I opened the box.  
  
When I opened it, my eyes widened. Inside was a little puppy. It was a beige-ish white colour and was very small. It had medium length hair and a bushy long tail. It looked at me with adoring brown eyes, then jumped up to lick me in the face. I giggled when it did that.  
  
"This is the best present ever!" I picked up the doggy and held it close to my face. "You're so cute! Yes you are! Yes you are!" The puppy licked me in the face. "We have to give you a name don't we?"  
  
Seifer took a seat at my desk.  
  
"What should I name her?" I asked.  
  
"Him. The dog's a he."  
  
"Oh. Okay. What should we name him?" The puppy squirmed out of my hands and fell into the big box full of sloppily wrapped gifts. He began rummaging through the stuff, ripping the wrapping off.  
  
"He's yours, you should name him."  
  
"Hmm..." I looked at the doggy. He was just so cute! "I know! We should name him Seify! After his daddy!" I picked him up. "Right Seify? You'll be named after your daddy!"  
  
"What?!" Seifer got out of his seat. "You're not naming him Seify."  
  
"Why not? Seify is such a cute name!"  
  
"I'd rather have it called Almasy. Not... the other one."  
  
"Fine! Whatever. You can call him Almasy, but I'll call him Seify! Right Seify? You like that name don't you Seify?" The dog barked joyfully. "See! I told you he likes Seify." I turned to face the dog again. "You like Seify better than Almasy right? Do you like the name Almasy?" The dog barked again.  
  
"I have to go, tomorrow's my SeeD exam. Happy birthday Selphie. And remember, pets aren't allowed in the garden... don't let him get loose." Seifer pushed the button that slid the door open.  
  
"Oh! Good luck Seifer!" Seifer began walking to his dorm before I called out to him again. "Hey Seifer... how did you know I liked puppies?"  
  
He stopped walking. "I remember you talking about it to Kianne." He said without turning around.  
  
So Seifer does care about others. Seifer has changed...  
  
* * *  
  
(Mark)  
  
"Ugh! This is fukkin' pissing me off!!" I swore. My head was beginning to hurt and I hadn't figured out anything about this piece of fukkin' paper.  
  
"Hey, chill. Don't stress yourself over this..." Tony said, trying to calm me down. He paused for a while before continuing. "Hey, can I use your notebook?" He said, referring to my laptop.  
  
"Fine, whatever. Do whatever you want." I slammed the piece of paper onto the desk beside Gerald's glass of water.  
  
"Hey Tony, how's things with you and that cute receptionist downstairs? Scoring any points yet?" Gerald asked. He was lying down on the bed, facing the ceiling.  
  
"No... I hardly ever see her. It's like she's never around." Tony replied.  
  
"That's right... I haven't seen her lately either. She's not even here at night... I remember coming back with Irvine from the cemetery and she wasn't at the desk when we were back..." Gerald remarked.  
  
"Have you figured anything yet?" Tony asked me, after a moment of silence.  
  
"Nothing! I don't know whether this stupid line is an underline or if it's crossing out the stupid letters!" I shouted angrily.  
  
"Do you know what it means?" Gerald asked me.  
  
"It's an ID number. This stupid town gives everyone an ID. The number is someone's ID. But I still don't know if it is the person we're looking for, because I don't know if this is a fukkin' underline or not!" I slammed my fist onto the table. The glass tipped over and water splashed onto the table and on the piece of paper. "Fukk."  
  
Tony got up from the laptop and helped me clean up the mess. He picked up the paper and examined it.  
  
"Yo... something's wrong with this." He said, looking at the now wet paper.  
  
"What now?" I asked in a stressed out tone.  
  
"The letters ID disappeared." He showed me the paper, and sure enough those letters were gone. Strange thing was, was that the other numbers and letters were still there.  
  
"What do you think that means?" Gerald asked, getting up from the bed.  
  
"It means... these letters and numbers aren't a person's ID number." I replied, thinking it all through in my head.  
  
"Does that narrow anything?" Tony asked while drying the table.  
  
"It does... it means... that it's definitely not that chick at the restaurant." I replied, running the possibilities in my head.  
  
"Say what?"  
  
"The numbers, they were Jana's ID number. But... I don't think it's her. 'Mr. Withers' must have known she would be killed soon... so she probably wrote the letters 'ID' to fool whoever killed her."  
  
"Come again?"  
  
"Gerald, you told me that when you got this piece of paper, the bracelet was already opened. I'm guessing our murderer must have knew about 'Mr. Withers' figuring out who he is. So he must have killed 'Mr. Withers' and looked at the piece of paper. The paper had the letters 'ID' to fool him. So he probably left the paper in the bracelet so we could find it, and then would blame Jana for the murders... because it is her ID number!" I told them. It was all coming to place now.  
  
"But, that scary chick said it was a guy... how could Jana be suspected?" Gerald asked.  
  
"Remember her saying how we always need to keep aliases? And her alias was 'Mr. Withers' so it could mean that whoever our murdering is, is actually a man disguising as a woman!" I snapped my fingers for a better effect.  
  
"Ugh. That seems disturbing." Tony remarked as he went back to my laptop. "So have you figure out who it is?"  
  
"No... but I will soon." I sat beside Tony watching him trying to enter a chatroom.  
  
"Damn this! Your laptop sucks shit. It won't even let me chat!"  
  
"It's been like this since we got here. It won't let me enter anything that allows me to interact with others outside. Seems like something's blocking it on purpose." I replied as I looked at the name Tony was entering in. "T0NY TH3 H0T DUD3?" I asked, arching an eyebrow. "What's with the numbers?"  
  
"What? The regular way was taken, so I had to use numbers!"  
  
"Oh shit..." I mumbled.  
  
"What now?"  
  
"I know what 30113 - NTSTRCP stands for... We're in some serious shit right now."  
  
* * *  
  
(Friday - SeeD exam)  
  
(Seifer)  
  
"Good morning class! I hope you all slept well! Today, as you all know, is your second portion of your SeeD final! There are three squads, each with three people. Squad A is Robert, Cliff, and Laura. Laura will be your Squad Leader. Squad B is Steve, Avina, and Seifer. Seifer is your Squad Leader. Squad C..." Kianne's voice just droned on.  
  
I was Squad Leader. Again. But I would not fail this time. I worked so hard to redeem myself, and I would not let anything or anyone stop me from becoming SeeD this time. Not even myself.  
  
"Squad A is to clear out Sections 23-30. Squad B, you guys clear out sections 14-22. Squad C clears out the remaining sections. After you clear out your sections, you will station yourselves in these positions." Kianne pointed to three different areas on the map in front of us for our three squads. "Instructions will be given from there. One more thing before we head out, if any orders are disobeyed, you will fail. And believe me, you will not see the end of that either." She warned.  
  
She sounded so different from how she normally was. But I guess it was because this was the SeeD exam. Quistis stood beside Kianne, in her usual upright, Instructor-like position. She didn't say a word. Nor did she look in my direction.  
  
"We have 4 hours to accomplish this! Now head out!" Kianne shouted. Everyone ran out into the field and in their respective sections.  
  
It wasn't long before we had cleared our sections. The girl in my squad... I think her name was Aleena or something like that, kept on shouting with joy.  
  
"This is so fun! And I was stressing out about this!" She would shout out after killing some monsters. The other guy in my squad, Steve I think, kept on rolling his eyes, but nodding his head.  
  
"We're going to our station now." I said, looking at the map and walking in the direction we were to go.  
  
We were in a destroyed little town. I heard it was because of the short-lived war between Galbadia and Balamb Garden almost immediately after the Sorceress Wars. There were two towns that were destroyed. This measly little one, and another one. But all that was left of the other one was a little shrine for all the people who had died because of the short-lived war. Autumn. The shrine had been named after the town. I remember Kianne saying her brother was there, and some guy. Probably her fiancée.  
  
We were stationed in this town because apparently there were huge amounts of monsters gathering here. We soon arrived at our position and we waited for Kianne to give us more instructions.  
  
"This is so boring! Let's go kill some more monster butts!" The girl would keep saying.  
  
"We already did! Aren't you tired of killing yet, Avina?" the guy said as he sat down on a huge piece of concrete.  
  
"No..." Her voice droned on.  
  
I noticed the ground was trembling ever so slightly. It seemed to be coming from behind us... probably somewhere near the area where Squad C was stationed.  
  
"Shut up!" I growled. She immediately closed her mouth.  
  
I listened even more carefully. It wasn't long before I noticed the small rocks on the ground trembling. Something was coming. And it was coming fast.  
  
"Hide!" I shouted, running to where Steve was, behind the concrete.  
  
Avina was too slow. Before we knew it, we saw a huge stone grey, flying beast swoop by and grabbed Avina his it's huge claws. The bird had a metal circlet around its head. The enormous gust of wind blew both Steve and I backwards. Avina screamed. When we were able to get up, we saw the bird flying towards a tower to the north.  
  
"Holy shit!" Steve swore. "What do we do now?" He looked at me.  
  
I didn't know what to do. If we went to help her, we would have to leave our position. And that meant we disobeyed commands. And we would fail. I did not intend to fail. But on the other hand, if we didn't help her, she could die. I didn't know what to do.  
  
"Steve!" A girl behind us shouted. "A huge ass bird swallowed Stan and headed in your direction!"  
  
We both turned around to face the person who was running up towards us. "That thing took Avina too! What should we do?" Steve exclaimed.  
  
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to help them! Rosie's being a wuss and won't leave her position. We can't just let that thing get them!" She shouted at us.  
  
"Well? What should we do?" Steve turned to face me.  
  
Good question. What should we do? I wasn't too sure. I didn't want to fail, but I still wanted to be heroic... and in a strange way, I didn't want those two to be hurt.  
  
"Fukk that, let's go!" I shouted at them and began running to the tower.  
  
We ran through the winding path of this town and soon came to where Squad A had been stationed. All three of them were still there, but they weren't moving. It was as if fright had made them turn to stone. However, as we reached them, I noticed that they were still, not moving, not even breathing. They were paralysed. I noticed a communicator that one of the held in his hand, so I pulled it out and pushed the button.  
  
"What's going on?" Kianne's voice came through with a lot of static.  
  
"A huge ass flying bird, heading to the tower. Two students have been taken, and Squad A is paralysed. I'm going to kick some bird's ass!" I shouted into the communicator and threw it down, and continued running towards the tower. Steve and the other girl followed behind.  
  
From the communicator, I heard Kianne's voice shouting, "Seifer, no! Get back to your position! This is an order!" but I ignored what she had to say.  
  
Soon we reached the tower. I could barely see the bird perched on the top. We looked around to find a way to the top, and sure enough on the other side of the tower was a ladder leading to the top. We quickly climbed the ladder, but slowed down when we neared the top.  
  
"Wait. Let me see what's going on." I whispered to them.  
  
Quietly I poked my head up and saw the bird perched on the side of the tower with its eyes closed. Avina stood beside it, a horrified expression all over her face. She was also paralysed. To the other side of the bird, there was a person. He looked like he was putting something on the head of a monster. He wore a reddish suit. I could tell by the suit that he was a Galbadian soldier.  
  
The three of us all crept up without being noticed until we took a step towards the man. The bird suddenly opened its eyes and squawked out loudly. The man turned around in surprise and saw all three of us there. He smiled.  
  
"Didn't expect company. Here let me entertain you with my pet." He pointed at us and the bird immediately flew towards us about to send a gust of wind to us. But I was too quick.  
  
I ran up to the thing and swung my gunblade at it. I sliced one of its wings off. The bird cried out in pain.  
  
"You hurt my pet you bastard!" He shouted at me. "But that's okay." The soldier pointed at the paralysed Avina, and immediately the bird swallowed her up.  
  
"AVINA!!!" Steve shouted out.  
  
Just as he finished, the sliced off wing began glowing and soon a new wing sprouted out from the wound.  
  
"Nifty isn't it?" The man said, gesturing to the circlet on the bird's head. "With this baby, my pet can regenerate... not only that, but it will do whatever I command it to do. Like attacking you for example!"  
  
Suddenly, the bird swiped one of its wings at the girl. She flew backwards and landed just on the edge of the tower with a loud thud. When she got up, she was all bloody. Her outfit was slashed as if she had been cut with claws, and blood dripped from the newly formed scars on her face.  
  
"Tanya! You all right?" The next thing I knew, Steve flew backwards too. Only this time, he could barely get up. "Ugh... Seifer... I don't think we'll pass today..." Steve said while kneeling down, with both hands on the ground to support his weight. He was getting closer and closer to the ground as the seconds ticked by. He was going to go soon...  
  
"I don't care!" I shouted out angrily. "If we fail, we fail with high marks! I'm not going to let you die here!" I cast a cure spell on both of them.  
  
The healing process would be a slow one, and it took time for them to regain their strength, I knew I would have to handle the monster one-on-one for now. Slash after slash, but still the bird did not fall. I was getting exhausted, I had wounds all over my body. Steve was losing energy fast again, and the other girl, Tanya could barely stand. It was going to be over soon. I didn't have any more cure spells with me, Tanya was too weak to cast any, and Steve also ran out. I guess I was destined to die here...  
  
Suddenly, the bird began hacking out it's own guts. The pinkish flesh flew out of its mouth and splattered all over us. We didn't even have the strength to brush it off.  
  
"What the hell?" The soldier exclaimed when the bird coughed out its flesh.  
  
After a short moment, and watching this grotesque scene, a katana appeared from inside its stomach. The blade came from the top and neatly made it's way downwards, until it was large enough for something inside to open it up. To our surprise, it was Avina. She quickly came out from the beast's stomach, pulling along the other guy who had been swallowed earlier. Once they were out, the beast fell down, never to get up again.  
  
"See ya later suckers!" The soldier shouted at us as he jumped off the tower.  
  
A few seconds later he rose back up in the air with something that looked like a jetpack on his back. I tried to raise my gunblade to shoot him, but I soon realized I was paralysed. The guts of the monster must have paralysed me. I knew the others wouldn't be able to move either... I failed for sure. I failed to obey commands. I endangered the lives of my Squad. I nearly let one of them die. And worst yet, I managed to let the enemy escape. I was a failure.  
  
"See ya later, fukker!" Kianne screamed as she ran up beside me. She held a rocket launcher, with her shoulder supporting the weight and fired at the soldier who had already travelled quite a distance already.  
  
Kianne shot. The rocket flew directly at him. She hit him. A blast of explosion was heard. Smoke started appearing from where he was. He was dead. Annihilated. Mission Complete? I didn't know.  
  
"Seifer! I told you to stay put!" She screamed at me.  
  
Right then, I knew it. I knew I had failed.  
  
* * *  
  
(Saturday)  
  
"Good morning Balamb Garden! This is Xu with today's morning news! First off, would Miss Kianne Lee please report to the office IMMEDIATELY. Secondly, the garden will be landing in Balamb shortly. All students are free to roam around, but remember, all students must be back in their respective dormitories by 2200 hours on Sunday. A little reminder is that the SeeD graduation has been moved up by one week, which means the graduation party will be held on Friday of next week. Now to congratulate our newest SeeD members."  
  
Xu paused for a long moment with papers rustling through the intercom. I needed a miracle... but I knew it wasn't gonna happen. I was assigned Squad Leader, but I failed to lead my squad. Because of my incompetence, I failed to obey instructions. And because of that, I endangered my team members' lives, which nearly killed one of them. There's no way I would pass. Now, my goal of becoming SeeD was crushed. And even Headmaster couldn't help me anymore. I would be kicked out of the garden... and where do I go from there? I didn't know.  
  
Xu cleared her voice over the intercom before speaking. "Our newest members are..." Another short pause. "Derrick Aborgale, Tabitha Almans, ..."  
  
I took a deep breath.  
  
- -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - --- -- - -- - -- - -- - -- -  
-- - -- - -- - --  
  
Okay, I apologize, I seem to have mixed up Tony and Gerald from last chapter... so I go edit chapter three right after this.... I'm terribly sorry! Also, I'm editing chapter 1-3 again, so that there are less grammar and spelling errors! I'm so sorry about that also!  
  
Maybe it's just me, but I felt like this chapter was a little rushed... I hope it wasn't that bad... ...  
  
One more thing, thanks for reading, and possibly reviewing! Really appreciate it! And I'll try to get chapter 5 up soon! Thanks once again!  
  
-- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - --- -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - --  
  
Oh my... I am so stupid!!! Okay, I'm very sorry I had you all waiting so long for this stupid chapter!! It was supposed to be up on Friday, but because of my lack of intelligence, I managed to make such a stupid mistake in this format, that it wouldn't upload properly... I'm terribly, terribly sorry!!! So here it is, at long last, chapter 4! Also, I edited chapter 1 so now there are less grammar and spelling errors! And I think I edited this chapter, but I can't remember 'cuz I was so pissed off over the weekend wondering how I could upload this properly... I can't believe how stupid I am!! 


	5. Surprise

Alrite! I wanted to have this chapter up as soon as possible... but I  
guess that won't happen... it takes me a couple of days (usually) to  
write a chapter this long... cuz I happen to be one of those people who  
work for about 10 minutes, then take a half hour break... and I usually  
don't get more then 30 minutes of actually writing done in a day... and I  
usually only work for about... 2 or 3 days a week (if I have the time  
to)... 4 if I'm really lucky... okay, so maybe I exaggerated just a  
little, but other than that... ya, it takes me forever... sorry! Aite,  
lets start off with the reviews again shall we?  
  
Ghost140 - I'm sorry about the cliffhanger... but I happen to like  
writing with cliffhangers... I like to watch my readers suffer! Muahahahahahaha Lol... I'm such a  
loser! Ya, but anyway, I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long! And I  
really hope I didn't disappoint you! Well enjoy chapter 5, and thanks so  
much for reviewing!  
  
VegaKeep - When I first read you review, I couldn't help but laugh! And  
then I thought about it, and I was like, "that is so true!" lol! Who  
knows, maybe you're right... maybe Seifer hasn't changed... Maybe he's  
still evil... ~.^ lol well, I hope you enjoy the fic so far, and thank  
you for reviewing! Really appreciate it!  
  
thugstra - you should feel special!! I like to let my readers know that I  
acknowledge their comments on my fic! And I really like it when I know  
they read my comments back to them! Makes me feel so special to! ^.^  
Why's Squall so mean...? hmmm, good question... why is he? I think,  
it's just that Seifer tried to kill him one too many times... so he's  
just ticked off... hmm, don't get your hopes up too high... what if  
Quistis doesn't do that 'right' think and pass Seifer? *wonders if I  
would get stabbed to death* ... *pictures being stabbed to death* ...  
hmmm... mizz thugstra... maybe you shouldn't read this chapter... ...  
lol! Juss joking! But if it's not what you hoped for... don't come and  
kill me! ='( anyway, thanks for reviewing and hope you enjoy this  
chappy!  
  
Lovelace - lol! Quistis is smarter than that ~.^ She wouldn't fall for  
something like that... now would she? You know... reading about you  
shaking Squall like that... makes me wonder if you'd do the same thing to  
me if I made Seifer fail... hmmm... doesn't sound like a pleasant idea...  
maybe you shouldn't read this chapter either... ... hmmm... lol! Juss  
joking! Like I said to thugstra, if things don't go as you hoped for...  
don't come and kill me!! I'm just the innocent writer who makes up what  
happens to them... okay, maybe I'm not so innocent after all... but I'm  
too young to die! Oh, you shouldn't have to apologize, I appreciate  
constructive criticism. I wish I could be more 'particular in terms of  
attitudes with every individual' like you are! It would make my fics  
much more better (or so I think)... *sigh* you're so lucky!  
  
Oh, and it's alrite if you write conversations to me rather than a  
review, I still like to hear from my readers... no matter what they have  
to say! Lol. Oh and I think I lied... =( I re-thought out the plan for  
this fic... and I ended up saying to myself that I didn't like how it was  
going, so now, I changed how I was going to end it... and in order for  
that to happen, this fic will definitely be longer than I thought (my  
originally plan was for it to end at chapter 5, but there's no way that's  
gonna happen...) I'm so sorry! I feel terrible. I lied. =(  
  
StarChild - thanks for reviewing! Here's chapter 5, hope you enjoy!  
  
Starlight4u - You know, I started reading your review, and I was like,  
"OH MY GOD! Someone hates me! But then I read on... and I realized what  
you meant. Lol. I started laughing at myself afterwards... I'm so  
stupid sometimes. Well, I tried to update this sooner, but I guess that  
didn't happen, but either way, here's chapter 5, I hope you didn't have  
to wait for this for too long, thanks for reviewing, and STOP CHASING ME  
WITH A PITCHFORK! *takes out a bigger pitchfork* Muahaha! *sees  
Starlight taking out a bigger one* Okay... that's it, I'm screwed! *runs  
off screaming*  
  
Hotaru9 - Hello to you too! ^.^ I'm so glad that you reviewed! When I  
continued this fic, and I didn't see you review, I was so sad! I was  
thinking, "aww... s/he (sorry don't know which!) stopped reviewing! I  
miss him/her so much!" yup, I'm weird, I know. But it's not my fault!  
I was born this way! (either that or I was dropped when I was a baby...  
hey! I do remember this time when I fell out of a grocery cart thing...  
lol) I'm happy to know that you still enjoy reading this! I know this  
is a very odd Seiftis, it just came into my mind this one day, and I  
decided to write it. Oh and this mission part with Irvine wasn't just  
here to take up some space... *hint* *hint* But ya, I guess you have to  
read on to find out how they fall for each other... (or... IF they fall  
for each other) and if Seifer makes it to SeeD. Maybe he does, maybe he  
doesn't. (And if he doesn't, please, please, please, for the love of  
god, DON'T kill me! ^.^)  
  
Okay, with that all done, let's continue, shall we? Recap of the previous chapters... Seifer is back, and Headmaster Cid is only giving him one more chance. If he makes it to SeeD, then he can stay, if he doesn't, well then... bye bye garden for the rest of his life. Now, everyone in the Garden doesn't want Seifer to be there... EXCEPT for Selphie who is also, the only one being nice to him. Even though Quistis despises Seifer, she's tutoring him (a slight chance that she'll get her Instructor's License back IF he passes). There are some arguments between the two, and they both end up humiliating the other one, at one point or another. During this time, Zell and Irvine have been sent on a mission, but they're clues are withering, and it seems like they'll never figure what happened, or who's responsible. Time is getting thinner for them, and if they can't solve it soon, it is their lives they have to pay with...  
  
Last chapter ended off with Seifer and his SeeD exam. Will he pass? I don't know, you'll have to read on to find out!  
  
-- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - --- -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - --  
  
(Seifer)  
  
Xu cleared her voice over the intercom before speaking. "Our newest members are..." Another short pause. "Derrick Aborgale, Tabitha Almans, ..."  
  
I took a deep breath.  
  
Xu hesitated, and more rustling from papers were heard over the intercom. I sighed in reluctance. There was absolutely no way I could possibly make it to SeeD. Why bother to wait and find out what I already knew?  
  
I took another deep breath and exhaled. [No point waiting.] I reminded myself. I got up from my bed and walked to my closet. I pulled out a duffle bag and threw it on my already-made bed. A trail of dust was left in the air, but I didn't care. I began taking out all my clothes from the closet. There wasn't much in there, so a scattered pile of clothes were lying on my bed shortly after. A pair of jeans, an extra trench coat, aside from the one I was already wearing, a few tee shirts, and a couple of extra pants... just like what I wore for my usual attire.  
  
I folded each article of clothing neatly and piled them in the duffle bag. The rustling of paper were no longer heard on the intercom, instead, Xu had turned it off without continuing her list... unless only two people had made it.  
  
Next I walked up to my desk. It was completely empty except for one thing. A picture frame with a picture inside of it. I held the frame gingerly in my hands and rubbed the smooth surface of the glass with my thumb. A crooked smile formed on my face. My eyes got slightly blurry, but I didn't bother to do anything about it. I just looked at the picture.  
  
The picture was basically the only picture that I had that I was in it. It was back at the orphanage. When I was just a little kid. I didn't remember much of my childhood, but whatever I did remember... Matron was in it. And this picture was no exception. Matron wanted a picture before I left to enter the garden. She wanted a picture of me... but I was stubborn. I didn't like taking pictures. I saw no point to them... but I remembered that day, Matron told me she wanted a picture of me because she thought I was special. A unique person, and someone who had great potential. She told me that she loved me and thought of me as her own child. I could never forget that day. Eventually, and quite reluctantly, I let her take a picture of me... only if she was in it.  
  
My eyes got even blurrier as I held onto the picture frame longer. Matron had loved me... She believed in me... she cared for me... things I cannot do for even myself.  
  
My thumb rubbed on picture as I looked at the little boy who was once me. His crooked smile hinted that he had never really known how to smile. His tight grasp on Matron's hand showed how much he didn't want to leave. How much he wanted to stay... but eventually. He did leave. He left to be someone else... He left to be... me. A failure.  
  
"Ahem!" Xu's voice came back on the intercom. "My apologies for the technical difficulties. Now, to congratulate our newest SeeD members, Derrick Aborgale, Tabitha Almans, ..." again Xu paused for a moment, but this time she continued. "Seifer Almasy..." Her voice droned on, but I tuned her out.  
  
The picture frame in my hand fell. It landed on the ground with a soft thud, followed by the sound of shattered glass. The picture slid out of the frame next to my feet.  
  
Seifer Almasy. Did I just imagine that?  
  
* * *  
  
(Squall)  
  
I stormed out the elevator towards Headmaster Cid's office after the announcements were made. Did I hear that correctly? Seifer Almasy passed?! That could not be possible! I had told Quistis to fail him. How could he have made it to SeeD?!  
  
"Good morning Commander." Xu replied in a tired tone, despite that it was a Saturday morning. "Headmaster is in his office with Kianne and Quistis, if you would just..." I didn't let her finish. I just pushed the door open to his office.  
  
As Xu had told me, Kianne and Quistis were there. They both sat down in front of the desk, Headmaster Cid stood behind his desk, and Matron was nowhere in sight.  
  
"Squall. I expected to see you here. Have a seat." Cid gestured to one of the empty chairs.  
  
I pulled the chair right beside Quistis angrily and sat down.  
  
"Now that we're all here. Why don't we start?" Cid sat down on his own chair.  
  
"Headmaster, could you please explain to us how Seifer managed to pass? I was there during the test. He failed to obey instructions and endangered the lives of his team members." Quistis said coolly. Like her usual Instructor-like tone. She didn't hint at any emotions, whether it be anger, shock, or joy. Something I used to do... now I let some of my feelings show... thanks to Rinoa.  
  
"That is why I called Kianne here. Kianne, could you please explain it again?" Headmaster turned to face Kianne.  
  
"Certainly." She smiled, then turned to face Quistis and I. "Quistis, you see, sometimes a person should not listen to what they have been told..." I cut her off.  
  
"Being SeeD means we obey. We obey orders and commands. We do not make up our own rules in this game. If we do, it is highly likely that we would die. That is why we need authority. We need to be led."  
  
"With all due respect Commander," Kianne looked squarely at me. "but there are times when one is given commands that need to be broken. In Seifer's case, he was ordered to stay at his stationed area, however, if he did not do what he had done, two or more of our students would have been killed. If he did not run off away from his stationed area, we might have never been able to kill our enemy." She replied in a low strict voice.  
  
"He endangered other students' lives. They all could have died!" I hissed at her. Maybe I was angry with Kianne, or maybe I was just pissed off that Seifer would not be kicked out yet. "Isn't that right Quistis?"  
  
Quistis nodded her head. "That correct. Seifer did endanger more lives."  
  
"I admit he did, but he did what a person should have done in a situation like that. Orders are given, but there may be other obstacles that were not planned to be there! The leader does not always know what happens in the battlefield. Plans change, new ideas are given. The course of action during a mission depends on whatever obstacles may come. The flying beast, was one of the obstacles that were not expected. Sometimes the commands given are not necessarily the best. A true SeeD must know how to react to a given a situation, even if it means disobeying an order. Seifer proved that he can think for himself. Something that is vital to be a SeeD." Kianne argued.  
  
I must admit, she did have a good point, but compared to my anger that Seifer would stay, it all sounded like bullshit to me.  
  
"Instructor Lee is has a point. Therefore, Seifer is admitted to become a SeeD. He will stay in Balamb Garden. Are there any problems?" Headmaster looked directly at me.  
  
I clenched my teeth, and my fist curled up into a ball. I didn't want that lapdog in the garden, but I guess I had to deal with it. There was no way I could win this fight. I got up abruptly and stormed out. I didn't know what Quistis was thinking, but she had a calm expression on her face.  
  
* * *  
  
(Selphie)  
  
I woke up on time as usual, to hear the announcements - - if any - - that Xu had. And I was surprised to hear that Seifer had made it to SeeD. Immediately after, I ran out my dorm, still in my cute daisy pyjamas, and towards Seifer's dorm. Seify's ear perked up when I got out of my bed so abruptly, but that little sleepy head did not budge otherwise.  
  
So here I was, pounding at Seifer's door, waiting for him to open the door. Soon the door slid open and a surprised Seifer stood there. I couldn't tell if he was surprised at me being here, or if he had heard his name over the intercom. I didn't care. I went right if for a tight hug.  
  
"Seifer, Seifer! Did you hear?! You made it to SeeD!" I shouted with joy. But I knew he had heard. I could bet he was pretty shocked too.  
  
He didn't say anything or do anything. So I let go of him and waved my hand in front of his face.  
  
"Helloooo!" I stretched out the word as I continued to wave my hand in his face. Still no reaction. "Earth to Seify!"  
  
Finally he did something. He grabbed my hand so I would stop. "I told you never to call me that." He finally said. He sounded calm. He didn't sound pissed off. Maybe the surprise finally left him.  
  
"Just needed a way to bring you back!" I smiled at him. "Congrats! You made it to SeeD! I knew you would!" I stuck out my hand for a handshake, but he didn't take it. Instead, he pulled me into a tight bear hug.  
  
"Thanks." Even though I was being squashed by his strength, I could just imagine the smile on his face.  
  
"Hey Seifer!" I called out, but it sounded like muffling to me. My face was pressed against his chest. "I'm kinda dying here!" He let go of me. His face turned a light shade of red. "Hey!! You know what? As a reward, I'll take you out for dinner, on a cruise ship! Tuesday night! Okay?"  
  
"Who else is going?"  
  
"Oh... just Kianne... and maybe some other person... I'm not sure who it is yet..."  
  
Seifer gave out a gruff chuckle. "You sure it's a reward for me? Or is it so you don't have to go alone while Kianne has a date?"  
  
I blushed. He saw right through it.  
  
* * *  
  
(Irvine)  
  
I woke up with the sunlight piercing through the window and to my eyes. I yawned and stretched out my arms. This was getting tiring. We still hadn't figured out who had murdered the people of this town, and we were running low on gil because of all the nights we had stayed at the hotel.  
  
I pulled the blanket off me and got up. Tiredly, I walked into the bathroom and washed my face and brushed my teeth. I was about to jump into the shower when I remembered I didn't get any clothes. So I walked back into the room and headed to my bag of clothes. I noticed Zell was already awake and gone out somewhere. His bed was neatly made and the clothes he would wear was sitting on the chair near the bed. He did that every night. Pick out his clothes and lay it on the chair to wear the next day.  
  
I took out my clothes that I would wear and headed back to the bathroom. I stopped midway. [Zell... his clothes. His clothes are still there. But he's not there. What the hell?!] I was interrupted by a soft, but urgent rap on my door.  
  
"Irvine, Zell, open up! It's Mark."  
  
I rushed to the door and let Mark in. He had dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept for a long while. He looked exasperated. Just as I let him in, he quickly closed the door behind him.  
  
"Hey, have you seen Zell?" I asked. "His clothes are still here, but he seems to be gone." I pointed to his clothes on the chair.  
  
"Shit!" Mark swore in a hushed whisper.  
  
"What? What's wrong?"  
  
"Zell... was that Zell? Was he walking in the hallway yesterday night?" Mark whispered while looking out the window as if looking for something or someone, before pulling the curtains closed.  
  
"Ya. He was. He said something about forgetting to pay for the rooms..." I tried to remember exactly what he had said, but I was too sleepy. I wasn't paying attention to what he had to say.  
  
"Fukk!" This time Mark swore a little louder. "Shit! Zell's in trouble!"  
  
"What? What the hell are you talking about?" I whispered back to him. He motioned me to come closer to him. I did, and he began whispering.  
  
"I figured out who we're looking for. It's that receptionist! The code spelt out receptionist! It's gotta be that girl downstairs!" Mark whispered harshly.  
  
"What? I thought it was a guy."  
  
"'She' is a guy! 'She's' just disguised as a girl! Fukk. The phone lines. They were cut last night. I couldn't contact you. And someone kept moving in the hallway. I didn't know who it was, but I thought it was her/him whatever. Shit. You said Zell went to pay for our rooms? 'She's' got him. That guy's got him." He whispered and the words seem to rush out of his mouth.  
  
"What? So you're saying that receptionist got Zell?"  
  
"You said Zell's not here..." Suddenly there was a scream from the room beside. Mark, Tony, and Gerald's room.  
  
Mark's eyes widened. He pulled out his weapon. A short, double-edged staff. I grabbed my sniper and we both rushed to the other room. When we got there, we saw both Tony and Gerald on the ground. Tony was unconscious near one of the beds and Gerald was bleeding... a lot. He was supporting himself by having one of his hands on the chair, pulling himself up so he did not fall down. He was probably afraid that if he fell, he would not be able to get up again. Blood was everywhere, but mostly on Gerald.  
  
"Gerald!" Mark half shouted as he rushed to him. He cast a cure spell, but nothing happened.  
  
"That bitch! That receptionist... 'she' came through the window..." Both Mark and I looked up to the window, sure enough, it was shattered, and blood dripped from the windowsill. We feared for the worst. "'She' threw Tony against the bed... I don't even know if he's dead... 'she' stabbed me... help... I think I'm dying..." He said between deep breaths.  
  
"Zell! Was Zell with 'her'?" I asked as I fished out an antidote in my pocket.  
  
"No... I didn't see him... but I managed to stab 'her' back..." Mark was taking shorter breaths. I was getting scared. What if he died? "But 'she' didn't seem to feel the pain."  
  
"Here. Swallow this! It will stop the bleeding and ease the pain!" I stuffed a pill in his mouth before he could say anything.  
  
Next Mark poured a potion in his mouth to make the pill easier to swallow. Some of his wound started to heal immediately, but it wasn't enough to say that he wasn't in critical condition.  
  
"'She' just went out... if you go, you might be able to catch 'her'." His eyelids began drooping.  
  
"Gerald! You can't die here!" Mark shouted at his friend.  
  
"Go! I'll be fine!" He tried to push Mark away, but didn't have much strength.  
  
"Irvine, go! I'll take care of Gerald." Mark turned to face me.  
  
"No! The both of you would kill her easier! Just go! I'll be fine!" Gerald used as much strength as he could to push Mark away. "I won't die here. I won't. Don't worry!"  
  
Without letting them argue anymore, I grabbed Mark's arm and pulled him out the door. We ran down the stairs and to our horror saw Zell lying across the reception desk. He was completely bruised, and if it weren't for his distinctive hairstyle, I would have never known it was him. I was afraid that he could be bleeding internally. It looked like some sick bastard used him as a punching bag.  
  
We both darted out the doors and on the street, looking around.  
  
"Other there!" Mark pointed up to a building. On the roof a figure was trying to place a board over the gap between the building to another.  
  
"How the hell are we going to get up there?!" I asked, but we didn't need to.  
  
Just as the person was running across the board, the wood snapped in half. The person fell down from the building. We both ran to where the person was, but to our surprise, when we got there, we saw the person standing up, as if the fall didn't hurt at all.  
  
"What are you waiting for?" The female voice mocked at us as 'she' lifted 'her' arms up to fight. 'She' was going to fight with fists.  
  
"Die bitch!" Mark ran up to attack 'her', but before he could make it to 'her', 'she' punched out into the air, and a gust of wind forced Mark to slam down onto the ground.  
  
I took aim with my sniper and shot, but before it made it to 'her', 'she' pulled out a knife from under pants and threw it straight at where I shot. The knife was covered in blood, probably the same knife that 'she' used to stab Gerald. But to my surprise, the knife cut through the bullet and headed straight towards me. I managed to just narrowly avoid the hit to my head. The bullet pieces fell down to the ground with a clanking sound.  
  
I knew my bullet wouldn't make it to 'her', but I shot again anyway. Just as the bullet passed Mark, he ran towards the girl/guy and threw his weapon at 'her'. I suppose he was losing all hope that we would win.  
  
The girl/guy looked as if 'she' was going to punch again, but something pulled 'her' back. 'She' moved in such a strange way that it looked like 'she' was a little string puppet that was pulled back suddenly.  
  
The bullet hit 'her'. The double-edged staff pierced into 'her' abdomen. The strange thing was that when the bullet pierced through 'her' forehead, and mask slid off 'her' face and revealed 'her' real face. That of a man's. But the mask was not like normal. The face of the girl on it fell down to the ground and shattered. As if it were porcelain. It shattered.  
  
I walked up to Mark. His lip was bleeding and his arm was all scarred from falling on the ground.  
  
"You think it's over?" I asked him, while helping him pull out his weapon.  
  
Something strange happened. The sun that rarely shined into this town began shining again. The sun's rays lighted up all the streets. The grey stone buildings no longer looked cold and dead. There were actually colours. They looked like normal buildings. All because the sun began shining into this town again.  
  
"It's gotta be over." Mark said in relief.  
  
* * *  
  
(Somewhere Else)  
  
(Someone unknown)  
  
The string snapped from my hand as I watched the bullet pierce into my little puppet's head. I had been watching these couple of boys figuring out who my plaything had been, and finally they had found him. Because I let them...  
  
The image began to blur and a swirling colour formed. Soon the swirling was gone, and all I was left with was a pool of water. What the image had originally been. I tossed whatever piece of the string left on my hand into the water. Just as it landed into the water, the string disappeared.  
  
I turned around and smiled at the man behind me. He only gave me a confused look.  
  
"Why did you let them kill P18 so easily?" He asked me.  
  
P18. Plaything number 18. William Dafoe. Will used to be a student of mine... but I grew tired of him, so I decided to use him as a plaything. Besides, I had my fun. Maybe this time they would heed my warning.  
  
"I got tired." I said as I examined my nails. They were painted dark blue this year. Opposed to last year's black. I always changed the colour of them every year. "Besides... I have better plans for them." A wicked smile formed on my face.  
  
* * *  
  
(Saturday Night)  
  
(Quistis)  
  
I was standing in the Secret Area, gazing out into the night sky. A lot of things had been on my mind all day long, but I didn't want to think about it. First was Seifer. He had made it to SeeD. I didn't fail him. In a strange and odd way, I didn't want to fail him. I don't know why, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Of course, Kianne was the one who marked his performance on the SeeD exam, but I was given the opportunity to voice my opinions. Kianne had passed him. I knew it before the announcements were made. I saw it on the test sheet. Headmaster wanted me to evaluated Kianne's performance, not the students. Kianne gave me the test results. I was supposed to write a comment about them or how she marked them for Headmaster Cid to see. When I came to Seifer's paper, I didn't know what to write.  
  
I sat at my desk in my room, wondering what to write for him. Kianne didn't give an explanation why Seifer had passed, but I didn't really want to fail him so... outright. I stared at his exam paper for a long while before I wrote down what I really thought. 'Seifer did exceptionally well on his SeeD exam. Except he failed to obey instructions.' I truly did think he did a very good job... but I didn't want to leave it just at that. That would be so... unlike me. So I had to add the last part.  
  
I sighed, and decided it was time to head back into my dorm. I walked out the Secret Area and quietly made my way out the training centre, careful not to awake any of the beasts in there. As I made it out the double doors, I saw Kianne and Selphie walking around in the main foyer.  
  
"It's pretty empty here..." I heard Kianne tell Selphie. "but what can I expect? It is a Saturday... and not the mention the students are off from classes!"  
  
"That's so true! Hey Kianne... how come you won't tell me who you like?" Selphie asked as they sat down the edge of the fountain.  
  
I got curious, so I crept closer. I knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but it seemed pretty interesting to me.  
  
"Well... I'll tell you... only if you promise not to tell a single soul!" She replied like a little schoolgirl afraid to let others know who she liked.  
  
"Okay!"  
  
But before Kianne could say the name, Irvine walked in from the front doors. I guess he finally accomplished his mission.  
  
"Irvine!" Selphie exclaimed as she jumped from her seat excitedly, but she quickly sat back down. "How was the mission?"  
  
"Not that good. Tony, Mark, Gerald and Zell are all in the Balamb hospital..." he replied sadly.  
  
"What?!" Kianne bolted upright. "What happened? Are they alright?!" I wasn't too sure why she would have been so emotional about it... or maybe...  
  
"It was terrible...Tony and Zell are both unconscious, and Mark and Gerald's just getting his wounds patched up. They're all going to be sent back here to be treated in the Infirmary tomorrow morning though." Irvine replied. He took off his hat and held it to his chest and looked down at the ground sadly. A little disheartened. I guess it was because his whole team were injured...  
  
Right after he said that, Kianne bolted out the door without saying another word. She ran like she hadn't ran before. As if she had to run in order so live. She was definitely really worried about them... or one of them especially.  
  
"Are you alright?" Selphie stood up and walked up to Irvine. She placed one of her hands on his cheek and gently pushed his head to the side. She looked around his head to make sure there were no wounds.  
  
"I'm alright, don't worry about me." He turned to face her again.  
  
They stood in that position for a while. Both of them staring into the other's eyes. Not moving, and hardly even breathing. Suddenly Selphie broke the awkward silence. She looked away and backed up away from him. From what I could see, the look on Irvine's face showed hurt. I knew Selphie still liked Irvine... but I didn't understand why she didn't want to be with him anymore.  
  
"Oh, here, before I forget." Irvine fished around in his pocket before pulling out a little box from his trench coat. "Happy Belated Birthday Selphie." He handed her the box. She gingerly took the little black box from his hands.  
  
Selphie's birthday. Belated birthday. [SHIT!] I swore in my head. I had forgotten all about Selphie's birthday!! Excuses began running through my head. I didn't know what to tell her. 'I'm sorry Selphie, but I forgot about your birthday...' I knew I couldn't be that honest... I'd probably hurt her feelings. 'Selphie, I had a lot of things to do during the week, sorry I didn't give you your gift until now.' [Hmm... that seemed too wordy...]  
  
"Thanks!" Selphie said happily. Even though her back was towards me, I could tell that she was smiling brightly.  
  
A soft 'click' was heard when she opened the box. "Oh my! This is gorgeous!" She exclaimed as she pulled something out from the box.  
  
The thing she pulled out shimmered in the moonlight. By the shape of it, it looked like a bracelet.  
  
"Here, let me help you." Irvine took the bracelet from her hand and helped her put it on her wrist.  
  
"It's so beautiful! Thank you!" She jumped up and gave him a hug.  
  
Irvine looked shock. Selphie held onto him for a few seconds before he regained his composure and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her closer and closed his eyes, while smiling happily.  
  
I couldn't remember the last time I saw them together so intimate. It felt like it had been forever since they broke up. I still remember that day when I found out they broke up. It was engraved into my mind. I remembered I was sitting in the cafeteria sipping on a cup of coffee while reading the news, when Selphie walked in and sat down across from me.  
  
I had put the paper down to face her, but was surprised when I saw her eyes were eye and puffy.  
  
"Selphie, what's wrong?!" I asked her. I was really concerned. Never had I seen her in this state before.  
  
"Quistis... I don't know if that was the right thing to do..." She muttered to me. Fresh tears began falling from her eyes.  
  
"What did you do? Are you alright?" I put my cup down and grabbed on of her hands, holding onto it.  
  
"I... I... broke up with Irvine." She blurted out before resting her head down. Soft muffled sobs came out.  
  
I didn't know what to say. So I just held onto her hand. I had never been in a situation like that before, so I didn't know what I could do. At first I didn't talk to her about it. I didn't ask her anything about it. Not even why she broke up with him. I just acted as if nothing had happened. I don't know whether Selphie liked me doing that, or if she actually wanted me to ask so that she could get some things off her chest. But either way, I didn't think it was my problem that I had to deal with. But I was wrong. It was my problem. Both Selphie and Irvine were two of my closest friends and I didn't do anything about it. So after a while, I let myself in. I pulled the mask off my face. I came out from my hiding spot. I tried to talk to them both about it... I wanted them to get back together. I knew they were happier together, and I wanted them to be happy. But it was too late. Selphie would no longer talk about it. In the end, I didn't do much help, and I still didn't know why they broke up.  
  
"It's getting late. I better go back to my dorm." Selphie's voice brought me back into reality. She pulled away from Irvine.  
  
"I'll walk you there." He offered.  
  
"No. No, it's alright." She turned around and walked towards her dorm, leaving Irvine behind. I could tell that she still loved him... but still would not accept him back.  
  
* * *  
  
(Sunday)  
  
(Seifer)  
  
Selphie and I were walking Almasy down the beach. She had called me early in the morning, and practically forced me to come with her. Even though I was annoyed with her because of this, I didn't show it. I knew exactly why she had made me come with her. I knew why she didn't want to stay at the garden. Two words. Irvine Kinneas. He had returned from his mission, and I knew Selphie did not want to see him more than she had too. And being with someone else would get her mind off him, especially somebody who could care less about what happened between them. Somebody like me. But she was wrong. I did care. Not so much about that cowboy, but more of her. I cared about her. Her friendliness and acceptance of me opened up more feelings within myself. I had learned to care about somebody else besides Matron and myself.  
  
"Seify's just so cute! Look at him!" Now she was running alongside with the playful little dog. Today he had a bright yellow ribbon tied on his tail, as opposed to yesterday's hot pink.  
  
"He looks like a bitch."  
  
"Seifer! Seify's not a bitch! You take that back!"  
  
"What? I'm telling you the truth. He looks like a female dog! Especially with that thing in his tail!" I argued.  
  
"Oh..." Selphie's face turned a light pink. She had took it the wrong way. "That thing is a ribbon! And it only makes him cuter!"  
  
"He looks like a wuss. Heh, just like that chickenwuss." I mumbled the last part to myself and imagined Zell with a ribbon in his hair. I shivered. What a terrible mistake! Now I would have nightmares.  
  
"Seify's so not a wuss! Right Seify? You're not a wuss, you're a cutie pie!" Selphie grabbed the dog and cradled him in her arms like a little baby. The dog barked once before jumping out of her arms.  
  
Selphie began running after the dog. I couldn't help but think about her and her relationship with Irvine. Curiosity did strike me, but I wasn't the type to talk about something like that. I did want to know why they broke up. I did want to know why Selphie wouldn't take him back... but I knew she still loved that guy... why? Because I saw them. Together. Hugging. Last night. I was there. I was there when he walked through the door. I saw Kianne run out the doors, and I saw Selphie hugging him tightly... for a while too. But she let go... she let go of him. I wanted to know why.  
  
"Seifer! That reminds me, here." Selphie had ran back to me while I was thinking. I didn't even noticed. She handed me a ticket. I took it out of her hands a looked at it.  
  
"Dinner on a cruise ship? What's this?" I asked, holding the paper towards her.  
  
"Don't tell me you forgot!!" She folded her arms across her chest and looked at me angrily.  
  
I didn't say anything. I did forget... that is, if she even told me anything.  
  
"Seifer! You said you'd come with me for dinner on Tuesday... with Kianne... remember?"  
  
Right. Dinner. I didn't want to go.  
  
"Wouldn't you rather go with someone else?" I asked. There were two reasons I asked this. One, I really didn't want to go, and two, maybe she'd rather have Irvine with her.  
  
"Of course not! And you better not back out! Or else, I'll be really, really, really, mad at you! And you know what I'll do? I have Seify attack you! Right Seify?" She called back to the puppy that was running towards her. "You'll attack your daddy for me right?"  
  
The dog jumped up at her, and balanced his front paws on her leg. He barked at her.  
  
"Not me silly! Come on Seify! Attack Seifer!" She pointed at me, while looking at the dog. Again it barked. But this time, it jumped at her again.  
  
I couldn't help but laugh.  
  
* * *  
  
(Infirmary - Kianne)  
  
I held his hand in mine and gently stroke it. I prayed to god that he would wake up soon, but Dr. Kadowaki had told me the chances of him waking from the coma might take weeks. She doubted that he would get up so early... but I held my hopes up high.  
  
I looked at the person lying on the bed, and globular tears formed in my eyes. He looked nothing like how he used to. His face was bandaged and bruised. One of his eyes looked so bruised, it didn't look like there was an eye anymore. I scanned the rest of his figure. All sorts of tubes were sticking out of him. Thankfully he could still breathe on his own and didn't need a respirator, but there were so many bags of fluids being put into him... and out of him.  
  
A tear fell from my eyes as I worried that he might not awaken. Although he was healing drastically since last night - - the bruises on him weren't as huge - - there was a slight chance that he might not wake up... and that frightened me. What would I do if he didn't?  
  
I leaned in towards him. My fingertips brushed the side of his face, along his tattoo.  
  
"Zell..." I whispered. "You gotta get up soon." Another tear fell from my eyes and onto his face. It rolled down the side that was bruised. Maybe it was just my eyes playing tricks - - after all, they were blurry - - but it looked like the swelling decreased. "You just have to make it Zell... you gotta..." Another tear fell down. They were coming faster and faster now.  
  
"Zell... if you don't get up... how do I let you know..." Another tear. "...That I love you?" A few more tears fell from my eyes.  
  
I couldn't take it anymore. I had to close my eyes. I couldn't look at his face anymore. If I did, I knew more tears would just fall from my eyes... not like there weren't already. More tears kept on rolling out of my eyes like a faucet, just as I was about to let go of his hand and wipe the tears away, I felt his fingertips move in my hand. My eyes popped open. His hand moved again.  
  
* * *  
  
(Tuesday)  
  
(Irvine)  
  
Tuesday afternoon. I hadn't seen Selphie since I got back. I knew why. I knew she was avoiding me. I wanted to talk to her. I wanted to sort things out. If not, at least I wanted to see her. But no. She didn't give me the chance. She was doing whatever possible to avoid me. She even gave up on decorating for the SeeD graduation party this Friday so that I couldn't find her. Last time she was mad at me, it took me a whole week before I could confront her... and that was only because Kianne was helping me. I was so useless. I couldn't even tell her how much I loved and missed her.  
  
I continued walking down aimlessly through the corridors, thinking about Selphie and all the good times we had together. It wasn't before I crashed into someone before I realized that I was daydreaming.  
  
"Watch where you're going mother fu..." There was an obvious tone of annoyance and anger in the voice.  
  
"Sorry." I muttered, still looking down at the ground. I continued walking without recognizing who I had crashed into.  
  
"Irvine." The voice said. I turned around to face whoever it was. To my surprise, it was Seifer.  
  
"Oh, hey Seifer. Congrats." I gave him a weak smile. He didn't say anything else, so I turned around and continued on my way. But he called me again.  
  
"Irvine." This time I didn't turn around. "Here." He jabbed me in the back with what seemed like paper.  
  
I turned around to see what it was. It was a little piece of paper. He handed me the paper and I looked at it. I raised an eyebrow.  
  
"What's this?" I took it out of his hand and read it. My eyes widened slightly. Enough for him not to notice. "A dinner on a cruise ship? What's this about?" I asked, handing the ticket back to him.  
  
He didn't take it. "Don't ask. Just go." Without another word he briskly strode down the hallway, his trench coat flapping behind him.  
  
I stood in the hall, confused more than ever. [Should I go?] I looked down at the ticket and back up to where Seifer had went. But he had already disappeared past the corner. I stuffed the ticket in my pocket. [What the heck, there's nothing to lose... right?]  
  
* * *  
  
(Tuesday Night)  
  
"Have a nice night sir." The foreman motioned me to get on the ship after I handed him my ticket. "Just go down to the right, table 43 should be at the end." He pointed to the direction I had to go.  
  
"Thank you." I replied as I headed into the ship.  
  
It was very elegant. The ship had been decorated like a formal party was held on it. Everyone was dressed in proper formal attire. Thankfully I did too. I made my way to the end of the ship looking around for my table. Sure enough it was at the very end. To my surprise I saw Zell, Kianne, and Selphie there. [So Seifer was helping me. How strange.] I thought as I walked up to the table, just in time to hear Kianne say, "You look fine, don't worry." To Zell.  
  
"Hello." They looked up at me and I smiled at them. Selphie was surprised the most.  
  
"Where's Seifer?" She asked.  
  
"Uh...he... umm... he..." I stuttered, thinking of something to say. "Ya, uh... he had some things to do, so he told me to come for him." I lied. Even though I felt indifferent with Seifer, he did help me get to Selphie, and the least I could have done was help him back. Otherwise, Selphie would probably get a piece of him when she got back.  
  
"Oh..." Selphie's voice was filled with disappointment.  
  
"Oh shoot!" Kianne exclaimed suddenly after I took a seat beside Selphie. "I left my ring in the washroom!" She got up abruptly. "Come on Zell, let's go find it." She tugged on his sleeve.  
  
"What?! I'm not going to the ladies room!" He shouted. But it wasn't that loud because his voice couldn't strain that high.  
  
Zell still looked pretty bad. His face was still bruised, but it was less, but still noticeable. His suit covered the rest of the bruises on his body, but just by looking at his face, anyone could tell he had been badly beat up.  
  
What surprised me the most was how fast he recovered. Just a few days ago, he was lying in Balamb hospital in critical condition. Now here he was, walking, moving free as ever. Maybe Kianne was an angel sent to help him.  
  
"Not to the ladies room silly! Someone probably found it by now... we should go talk to the ship captain or something." She continued to pull on his sleeve.  
  
Although Zell was complaining a lot, she managed to pull him out of his seat and towards the other side of the ship. But I knew what she was trying to do. She was leaving Selphie and I here for some alone time.  
  
We sat in silence for a long while. Selphie kept on looking out into the ocean, avoiding and eye contact with me. Suddenly the ship's engine started and the ship began moving. The cool night breeze blew past us.  
  
"I wonder what's taking them so long." She finally said, still looking at the ocean. It seemed like she was talking to herself more than to me.  
  
"They probably left." I replied.  
  
Finally she turned to face me.  
  
"What?!" First shock was written all over her face. Then anger. "No..." She whispered when she realized it could be true.  
  
I got up and took Zell's unoccupied seat across from her.  
  
"Selphie, we need to talk."  
  
"I have to go." She placed the napkin on the table and was able to get up, but I leaned towards her and grabbed her hand.  
  
"You can't avoid me forever Selphie. Can't we just talk it through?" My eyes pleaded her.  
  
"Okay. Fine. What is it that you want to talk about?" She looked squarely into my eyes, but immediately turned her head to the ocean again.  
  
"Look, Selphie I'm sorry about how things have been going between us lately..." I started, but she cut me off.  
  
"It's not your fault." She stated out angrily.  
  
"Selphie, just hear me out first. I know it's been rough for both of us. I know you've been avoiding me. I know okay? I just know. Selphie, you know that I still care for you..." She cut me off again.  
  
"But I don't care for you..." The words came out slower than it actually did. My heart felt like it was ripping, slowly and painfully. I bit back the pain and continued talking.  
  
"I care about you. I still love you. You know that Selphie. Don't pretend you don't. And don't pretend you don't care. You wouldn't avoid me if you didn't care. But I know that I hurt you before. And I know that you're afraid I'll hurt you again. So, I just want to let you know that no matter how much I love you, I'm not going to force you to love me back. I just want to see you happy... even if it means that we're not together." I bit my lip. It was painful. If she ever did choose not to be with me, it would be hell, but at least... I'd still have her as a friend. "I just want us to stay friends. No more avoiding each other. Just like old times."  
  
There was a long awkward silence. We just stared at each other. I didn't know what else to say. I was afraid. What if she rejected me? What if we couldn't even be friends?  
  
"What are you waiting for? Let's not waste a perfectly good dinner!" She beamed at me happily. I hadn't seen her smiled since forever.  
  
I smiled back at her. Although it pained me to only be friends... it was the best I could hope for.  
  
* * *  
  
(Kianne)  
  
Zell and I were walking down the beach as I watched the ship move further away. I smiled. [I wish you two the best of luck.] I thought in my head.  
  
"Kianne, I thought you lost your ring..." Zell began, but I cut him off.  
  
"Of course not silly! It's right here!" I waved my hand in front of his face.  
  
He looked confused for a moment, but then everything clicked in. "Oh... I get it now!" He paused for a few seconds. "You didn't like the food there?"  
  
I couldn't help but laugh. "You're so silly! Come on! Let's walk down the beach!" I wrapped my arm around his. He didn't seem to mind, but he didn't seem to care either.  
  
"Why'd you make me come? I look like a mess! My face is still bruised." He whined.  
  
"No you don't! You always look fine to me!" I exclaimed.  
  
I took a step forward, but the heel of my shoe went down the wrong way. There was a snap, before I began falling. Suddenly I felt his arms around me as he pulled me back up. It was like some kind of cheesy chick flick. Where the girl suddenly trips and her prince charming pulls her back up, slowly. The girl and guy locks eye contact and stay in embrace for a moment before the guy leans in to kiss her. Too bad that didn't actually happen for me.  
  
"You alright?" He asked, letting go of me.  
  
"Oh ya, just fine." I brushed the hair away from my face. "Oh drat! My shoe's broken." I took off my sandals and held them in my hand.  
  
"Maybe we should head back to the garden." He suggested.  
  
"No! But... I want to walk on the beach..." I frowned.  
  
"But you don't have shoes." He pointed out.  
  
"Walking in the sand won't hurt! Besides, if we walk back, my feet's gonna hurt!" He was right though. I didn't have shoes, and if I didn't go back now, we could encounter some monsters, which would be worse. The cab I had rented earlier wouldn't come and pick us up until the ship came back... and I didn't know how long that would take.  
  
"Here, I'll carry you back." He offered. He bent down so I could climb on his back.  
  
I quickly took advantage of this and got onto his back. He lifted me up with ease. I rested my head on his shoulder. He felt so nice... even though I could feel some of his bruises.  
  
"Are you sure it's alright? You're not hurt or anything?" If he was, I didn't want him to carry me anymore then.  
  
"Naw, it's alright. You're light, so it's all good." He said as he made our way back to the garden.  
  
He didn't know it, but I was smiling and blushing a lot. It felt like I was on cloud number nine. I couldn't help it. This oaf really made me happy.  
  
* * *  
  
(Garden - Main foyer)  
  
(Rinoa)  
  
"I can't believe Seifer actually made it to SeeD. I wonder how it's going to be like with Seifer here for good." I was sitting on the side of the fountain area and watched my legs dangle. I began swinging my legs forwards and back repeatedly, one after the other. Squall was sitting beside me, with one of his arms wrapped around my waist.  
  
It was a Tuesday night. Normally, Squall would be busy doing something, but since it was the summer, everyone was on a break. Most of the students would go and visit their families, or go on vacations, soon. That is, after the SeeD graduation party. Actually, it was a graduation and a year- end party combined into one. Which meant, after the party, only a few students would be left in the Garden. I wanted to go to somewhere romantic, but Squall protested against it. Plus, his excuse was, 'The garden might have an emergency. It'd be good if there were still some people around to help.' But I highly doubted that would ever happen.  
  
"..." Squall didn't say anything.  
  
"Do you think Quistis might have let Seifer stay?" I asked, still kicking my feet.  
  
"No."  
  
"Why not? Quistis doesn't seem to have a grudge on Seifer anymore... maybe she purposely let him stay."  
  
"Quistis wouldn't do that."  
  
"Oh, it's because she'll do what you tell her to do right?" I was getting a little angry. I was beginning to wonder if Squall actually knew Quistis liked or possibly, likes him.  
  
"What are you talking about?" He turned his head to face me.  
  
"Oh! You know what I'm talking about Squall!" I got up angrily.  
  
"Rinoa! I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
"I know you know! I know you knew that Quistis liked you! She'd probably do anything for you!" My voice was rising.  
  
"That ridiculous! Quistis would never..." He stopped talking when he saw Quistis approaching us from down the hall. I could tell she hadn't heard a word we had said, but would soon if we continued.  
  
"Perfect timing." I said. "If you so truly believe that Quistis didn't like you. Tell her off now. Tell her you never liked her."  
  
"Rinoa! I can't do that!"  
  
"Which only proves you did know that she liked you! Which could mean that you like her too!" I slowly began realizing what secret I could have unravelled.  
  
"You know I only have my eyes on you!" He hissed. Quistis was coming closer and closer.  
  
"Then tell her." I folded my arms across my chest and gave him my most serious look.  
  
Squall looked very reluctant, but turned around to face Quistis.  
  
"A little late for you two to be here isn't it?" Quistis asked.  
  
Squall looked at me one more time. I gave him a death glare, which Quistis obviously took notice. He turned back to face her.  
  
"Quistis, I'm sorry if I ever led you on, but..." He paused. Quistis gave a confused look. I glared at the back of his head. "I never liked you. I love Rinoa. I always had, and always will."  
  
I frowned. He had said all that... just for me. And I didn't trust him before.  
  
Quistis' was puzzled. She didn't know how to react, then she let out a short giggle. "Of course you do! If you ever hurt Rinoa, you'd have to deal with me!"  
  
My stopped beating. Quistis. My friend. One of my closest friends. And I had doubted her. I felt miserable. All that time I thought she hated me and wanted to take Squall away from me... all the time I hated her for thinking of that... all that time... it was only in my mind. I had doubted Quistis. And I had doubted Squall. I felt terrible.  
  
"Quistis! I'm so sorry!" I ran up to her and gave her a big hug. Tears were falling from my eyes like raindrops. "I'm so, so, so, so sorry Quistis!"  
  
She hugged me back. "It's alright. Don't worry about it."  
  
"Sorry..." I heard Squall mumble.  
  
After a short while, Quistis pushed me back. "It's alright silly! You don't have to cry!" She paused. "If it's alright with you two, I was heading out..."  
  
"Oh! Sorry!" I sniffed. I moved out of her way and wiped the tears from my eyes. I felt Squall's arms coil around my waist.  
  
We watched as Quistis headed out the front doors into the dark night. I spun around into Squall's chest and hugged him tightly.  
  
"I'm so sorry Squall!" I sniffed.  
  
"Shh... I love you."  
  
"I love you too." I whispered.  
  
* * *  
  
(Quistis)  
  
I was surprised. I never actually thought in my whole entire life that Squall would say something like that to me. But I misjudged him. The things he would do for Rinoa. What surprised me the most was how I reacted. I thought that I might bawl or get upset, but now, I feel great. Never better in my whole entire life. Maybe it was at that moment I finally realized that I had gotten over him. I finally realized that I could not have him... especially when he and Rinoa are so in love with one another. If I had ever broken them up, I'd probably feel miserable and everything.  
  
Another thing I realized was that I no longer envied Rinoa to the extent that I hated her. I still envy her, yes. But not to the same extent. I'm happy that they have each other, but I still wish I had someone to be there for me... I wanted a genuine nice guy. Life didn't seem too bad anymore. Who knows, maybe it would take a better turn now.  
  
"Come on Almasy, bring it back!" I heard a thick male voice call out.  
  
I looked up and saw Seifer calling out to a dog. The same dog from Selphie's room. I remembered, when I went to give Selphie her gift, I had seen the dog with her. I was surprised. Seifer... playing with a dog?  
  
The dog ran up to me and barked. I bent down and patted it on the head, and stroked its silky fur. I heard Seifer run up towards us.  
  
"Seifer, never knew you had a dog." I said, not bothering to look up. I knew it wasn't his dog, but it'd be fun to hear what he had to say.  
  
"It's... uh... a friend's." He stuttered.  
  
"Seifer? And friends? Wow, I'm surprised!" I stood up and faced him.  
  
"Looks like I have more friends then you at the moment." he countered.  
  
"Touché." Seifer one, Quistis zero. "Well congrats on making it to SeeD, Seifer."  
  
"What's this? My 'favourite' Instructor congratulating me? That's a surprise!"  
  
"On job well done."  
  
"That's strange, you never praised me before." He looked at me suspiciously.  
  
"I would have if you listened."  
  
"Only if I were your precious puberty boy. Maybe if you weren't so involved with him, I might have listened."  
  
"Maybe if you weren't so arrogant in the first place, I might have praised you. But you wouldn't listen to me anyway." I countered.  
  
He didn't say anything. Seifer one. Quistis one.  
  
"I'm listening now."  
  
I opened my mouth to say something, but then I realized I didn't know what to say, so I closed my mouth.  
  
"That's what I thought."  
  
So maybe it was Seifer two, Quistis zero.  
  
"Well okay. Listen up Seifer. I know you're truly a nice guy underneath your tough exterior. I know you're just a little child who's lost. I know that you want to be free. I know you're someone unique and special. I know you want to show the world what you can do..." I was going to go on, but Seifer cut me off.  
  
"Well it looks like you don't know me at all." Without letting me say another word, he stormed back in, with the puppy trotting along behind him.  
  
So maybe I didn't know him that well... but if he only opened up a little more, I would probably understand him better.  
  
* * *  
  
(Friday Morning)  
  
(Cid)  
  
"Ah! Good morning Charles! This is a pleasant surprise!" I got up from my desk and motioned the gentleman and lady to the seat.  
  
Charles was the new Headmaster of Galbadia Garden. He was nearly a decade younger than me, but somehow we managed to put aside the age difference and become close friends. The lady beside him was someone I had never seen before. She had firey red hair and was around shoulder length. She was fairly slender and was a very attractive young lady. She looked to be in her mid twenties.  
  
"Cid! Long time no see!" He took my hand and gave it a ferocious handshake.  
  
"And who might this young lady be?" I asked as we all took a seat.  
  
"Oh, Cid, let me introduce to you my lovely fiancée, Elaine."  
  
"Pleasure to meet you." I stuck out my hand for a handshake. She looked at my hand as if she had no idea what it was supposed to mean. So I just pulled back my hand.  
  
"Elaine has never seen any other garden before and she just wanted to see Balamb so desperately..." He got cut off.  
  
"Charles tells me that it is a wonderful and beautiful place!" She exclaimed, waving her hands in the air.  
  
"He exaggerates." I grinned. "Would you like a tour?"  
  
"Oh, that would be wonderful!" Maybe it was just me, but she sounded somewhat sarcastic. "But..."  
  
"But?" I asked.  
  
"Well Cid, you know that Galbadia has been short of students lately... after that incident..." Charles explained.  
  
The incident. Right. That was a few years ago. The Sorceress War. But somehow, Galbadia never seemed to recover from that just yet.  
  
"We were wondering if we could borrow a student of yours." He finished.  
  
"A student? Well, it's up to the student if he or she wishes to go to Galbadia... but who do you have in mind?" I looked at the two. They didn't say anything at first, but eventually, Elaine opened her mouth.  
  
"Seifer Almasy."  
  
* * *  
  
(Friday - Afternoon)  
  
(Selphie)  
  
I was ironing my scarf for my pretty yellow dress - - how the scarf got wrinkled was beyond me - - when someone knocked on my door. The graduation party would be in about 4 hours, but I wanted to get ready early so I could check up on the decorating job the students did.  
  
"Who is it?" I asked while opening the door. To my surprise, it was Seifer. He held a small box with holes. "Lemme guess, it's Seify?" I gestured to the box.  
  
He nodded his head. "Didn't know how long you would be gone last night so I took care of him."  
  
"Ya, I noticed when you left the note on my desk." I pointed to the note that was still on my desk. "You dognapped my dog! And not only that, you broke into my room! How'd you do that anyway?" I motioned him to come in.  
  
"That's for me to know, and you to find out." He gave me a wicked grin.  
  
"Ha. Funny." I said, unimpressed. "Say, you have a date tonight?" I didn't really want to go alone, nor did I really want to go with Irvine... who, surprisingly hadn't asked me to go with him yet.  
  
"Wouldn't you rather go with someone else?" Maybe it was me, but it sounded like he was suggesting something.  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Never mind. I want to go alone." He replied.  
  
"Where you suggesting Irvine?"  
  
"No. But you did."  
  
"I..." I closed my mouth. He got me there. "Do you think I should?" I opened the box and let Seify jump out the box. He immediately ran to his little bed and made himself comfortable.  
  
"I'm not the person to ask these kind of things." I could tell he felt uneasy about the topic.  
  
"No, but that makes you the perfect person to ask. Do you think I should go with Irvine? I mean, like, if I asked Quistis or anyone else, they'd probably say yes. I know you're indifferent with these kinds of situations, so I'd like your opinion."  
  
He didn't say anything for a while. I didn't expect him to, but he eventually did.  
  
"Everybody deserves a second chance."  
  
I was surprised to hear him say that.  
  
"I don't know... He's always looking at other girls..." Though it wasn't completely true, I wasn't sure if I wanted to accept him just yet.  
  
"He's a guy. What do you expect? All guys are like that. But you're lucky, at least he doesn't hide it from you."  
  
Seifer had a point there. It was strange to hear him say that, but it was probably even stranger for him to actually say it.  
  
"You really think I should give him a second chance?"  
  
"It's up to you." He opened the door and slipped out.  
  
Maybe he was right. Irvine did deserve a second chance.  
  
* * *  
  
(Friday Night)  
  
(Seifer)  
  
The music was playing loudly, and happy couples were dancing on the dance floor. Everybody else was happily chatting away with friends. I, on the other hand was sitting alone at the table in the corner, drinking down a bottle of red wine.  
  
I came to the party late... it wasn't as if I missed anything... and I wanted to leave early. There was nothing to do here. In the corner of my eye, I spotted Selphie dancing with Irvine. Perhaps they had got back together.  
  
I shivered. Remembering what I had said to Selphie made me shiver. I had never said anything so corny in my life before. I didn't know why I had said that.  
  
I poured another glass of wine for me, but nothing came out. I got up and headed to the beverage table and grabbed myself another bottle of something. I just grabbed anything in reach. I headed back to my table and read the label. Champagne. I popped the cork out and poured myself a glass. This was my third, fourth, fifth, or whatever bottle I would finish. I had lost count. My head was getting fuzzy.  
  
"Hey hottie, care to dance?" A girl came up to me.  
  
I couldn't tell who it was. Probably some girl I've never seen before, but either way, I didn't want to dance. My eyes were beginning to get blurry. Maybe I was getting a little drunk now.  
  
"Not with you." The words seem to stumble out of my mouth.  
  
"Jerk!" She hissed at me before storming off.  
  
My head began pounding. The music, the blurriness, it was all getting to my head. I couldn't stand it anymore. I needed to go back to my dorm. I grabbed the remains of my Champagne bottle and headed out towards my dorm. On my way, I bumped into some people, but I didn't care. Nor would I remember.  
  
* * *  
  
(Quistis)  
  
"Miss Trepe, my name's Monica. You used to teach me when I was 13. Ya, I made it to SeeD now!" This blonde hair girl came up to me and announced.  
  
"Oh hello Monica! Congratulation!" I gave her a smile. I had no clue who she was, but I pretended that I did anyway. This was the fourth person who did that to me tonight.  
  
"Oh thanks! Well, I better get back to my friends. It was nice seeing you Miss Trepe!" She yelled out as she ran to join her friends.  
  
I needed a way out. I could not take this anymore. I quickly made my way to our table to seek refuge there.  
  
"Tired?" Kianne asked me as I sat down.  
  
"Very. I need something strong." She handed me a glass of wine.  
  
"This is all I have right now."  
  
"Good enough." I downed the drink. She poured me another glass. "And why aren't you out there with all those happy couples?"  
  
"I have no dance partner." She gazed dreamily at the people dancing.  
  
"What happened to Zell?" I gulped down the drink and poured another glass. "I noticed you came here with him."  
  
She flushed red. "He went to the washroom."  
  
"Speak of the devil." I said as I watched Zell squeeze his way back.  
  
"Hey Quistis. Didn't know you were here." He looked down at Kianne. "You're all red. Are you sick or something?"  
  
The comment only made her turn a darker shade of red.  
  
"She wants to dance. Since I'm not a guy, I can't take her. Could you lead her the way?" I asked. I was only trying to help her.  
  
"Uh... sure, but I'm not a good dancer." The two headed off.  
  
It wasn't long before I finished the bottle. I sat there for a short while watching people, but then I soon grew tired of watching, so I decided I should head back to my dorm.  
  
As I got up from my seat, I felt a little woozy, but I managed to make my way out of the party. I was walking down the hall when I heard someone yelling and mumbling at the same time.  
  
"Fukk. Open up." Was what I could make out before more mumbling.  
  
As I neared my dorm and the noise, I realized the person making the loud ruckus was Seifer. And he was slamming his fist into my door. Why he was doing that, I had no idea.  
  
I watched him slide a card key in the slot, then muttering a string of curses and pounding at the door.  
  
"Stupid piece of shit." He shouted, and began mumbling again.  
  
I finally clued into what was going on. Seifer was drunk. And he was trying to get into my room. Why? Because he thought it was his.  
  
"Seifer, go back to your own room." I said to him. My head was feeling light now. I placed my hand on his shoulder.  
  
Suddenly he spun around and pushed me against my door. He was leaning into me, and the stench of wine was all over him.  
  
"Seifer, get off me." I struggled to push him off, but he was much to heavy. Either that, or I was much too weak.  
  
He leaned in closer and pressed his lips against mine. It was a sloppy kiss, but I couldn't really blame him. He was drunk.  
  
"Seifer, get off." I managed to push him away, enough for him to stop kissing me.  
  
He looked into my eyes, before his body slammed into mine. Pinning me against my own door. His head rested on my shoulder and he no longer mumbled inaudible words.  
  
I turned my head and looked at his now sleeping figure. I watched how his nose moved ever so slighting every time he exhaled. And then I looked at his lips. His light pink, firm lips. It looked so delicate, so intoxicating. I couldn't help but lean in.  
  
Slowly I pressed my lips against his in this awkward position. It felt like a little electric jolt when my lips touched his. I pulled back quickly. He let out a soft snore. I kept on staring at his lips and wondered what it'd feel like if I kissed him.  
  
Again I leaned towards him. Again my lips touched his. This time I didn't pull back. We stood in this position for a while before I decided to go further. I wanted to know how it would feel if I deepened the kiss. So I did.  
  
My tongue touched his lips. It was strange. Just as I did that, I felt his arm tighten around me. It was as if that light touch had woke him up. The next thing I knew, his tongue was in my mouth. But I didn't stop him.  
  
I slipped my card key into the slot and the door slid open. We both tumbled inside, our lips still connected.  
  
Maybe I was a little drunker than I thought I was.  
  
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- -- - --  
  
Okay, so I admit... I lost a little motivation when I found out only a few people reviewed my story... but it's not my fault!! Okay... so maybe it is... anyway...  
  
There you have it! Chapter five! After such a long time waiting, I finally have chapter five up! Woo hoo! Go me! ffnet's been a little screwy lately... so this chapter's probably not gone be up till a little while longer. Hope you enjoy and please review! 


	6. Decisions

Okay, okay. I know. You had to wait a long time for this chapter, and I apologize... I was, really, really, really lazy and I thought I deserved a break! ^.^ But you might be happy to know that I actually have the rest of the story planned out... so, I won't have a writer's block (or shouldn't at least) which means I probably won't abandon this fic and not continue this story for say, the next three months. Aren't you proud of me? Oh, and also, since I have the rest of the story planned out, I know exactly how many more chapters left! Yay! ^.^  
  
thugstra - At first, I did plan for Kianne to like Seifer (you know, a little competition for Quistis) But then I thought about it, and then I decided, no it wasn't a good idea. Kianne and Seifer's personalities don't match at all. I thought she would be better off with Zell. As for the happy ending for them? Well, all I can say is, you have to read till the end of the story to found out if this was a match made by heaven! ^.^ The Irvine romance talk made you teary? *is really, really happy* Aww!! You made my day!! ^.^ I especially love it when I can make my readers either feel the Angst, or feel all teary! I'm so happy! ^.^ As for Seifer going away from Balamb? It's not my fault okay? I can't control him! (Well... yes I can... but that's not my point here ^.^) If he leaves, it's not my fault! And whatever I'm implying... well like I said before, you just gotta read and find out! ^.^ I'm so evil sometimes! I'm really glad you like this story and that you were entertained! And don't worry about 'wasting' my 'precious-writing-the-next-chapter-minutes' because you didn't, and I really enjoy writing back to my reviewers! ('Cuz y'all are just so wonderful! ^.^) Hope you enjoy this chapter!  
  
Starlight4u - Yes you are impatient! ^.^ But it's all good to me. You know why? 'Cuz it just motivates me to work on the fic! You see, if I stop writing for a while, and nobody sends me a review for a long while, I sorta forget things, and I end up usually not working on the story! But, with your friendly little reminders, it got me going again! Good job! ^.^ Yay!! ^.^ This is your favorite story in this category! ^.^ WOO HOO! ^.^ but... PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!!! *sniff* *sniff* If you kill me, then I won't be able to update this! Lol!  
  
Vegakeep - You think so too? I didn't really like it when I started to make Seifer going soft... but I needed him to be a little more open so the story could go on... otherwise, it would just drag on, and on... and we all don't like that now do we? I liked your idea with the ransom thing tho! I should have done that! But nah... it's too late now!  
  
Kat- Not only does this fic take everyone forever to read, it takes me forever to write as well! (Why, oh why did I decide to write such a long fic?!) I tend to make all the characters a little OOC one way or another, but I really hope you don't mind it! ^.^ So Irvine and Selphie HAS to stay together...? *wonders what will happen to her if she doesn't make that happen* Should I ask? Lol! Just continue reading the story and eventually, you'll find out if they stay together or not!  
  
StarChild1 - Thankies for reading my fic! Thanks for the encouragement and I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the other ones! ^.^  
  
Ghost140 - I completely agree with you! I would also prefer the Drama/Angst/Romance going on, and I would have liked not using the little drunken cliché. I did try to think of ways to avoid that whole situation, but, it just happened to fit perfectly into my story and what happens and how it all ends. I'm truly, very sorry I had to use that, but I couldn't think of a better way. Oh, and also... WHY MUST YOU ALL ATTACK ME LIKE THIS? Can't we settle this down like civilized people? Instead of attacking me with a pitchfork, or a gunblade, or killing me when I sleep (I haven't had a good night sleep since I read your review! Shame on you!) can't we talk this over tea? Oooh! Or over iced cappuccinos? Hmmm... Iced cappuccinos... ^.^  
  
The Omega Weapon - Thanks for the encouragement and review! Hope you enjoy the rest of this fic! ^.^  
  
Quistis88 - It's alrite you couldn't review for the previous chapter... we'll be even after I pull the trigger on this sniper that is aimed at your head... hehe ^.^ Juss joking! I would never do that to my wonderful reviewers! I'm glad you loved the chapters! And I hope you enjoy the rest as well!  
  
Lovelace - Damn... the shout out was supposed to trick you!! *sigh* Guess I need to find a better way ne? I'm glad you liked how Kianne points out why Seifer deserved to pass. I had a WAY better speech in my head before, but when I was typing the story out, I completely lost it, so I had to come up with another, less good one. *sigh* I must say, you are quite observant! "Galbadia's fiancée looks evil" How did you come up with that? Lol! But whatever Galbadia's planning, (like I said to several other people) you have to read to find out! That is... if they really are planning something! Hey! If there's lots going on your head (and if it takes a lot of space to write it) go on ahead! I love reviews (especially when they are long! ^.^) Even if it is pointless to the story, it's still welcomed! ^.^  
  
Dragon Princess Isis - Awww!! You think my fic's cute! *is happy* ^.^ but... *wonders if DPI would still think her fic is cute when DPI continues reading* hmmm... I sure hope so! ^.^ Hope you enjoy this chappy!  
  
punky gal - Yes! Finally some Quiefer action eh? I know I didn't update soon, but better late than never right? And you're such a sweetheart! Even if you didn't mention my fic in your story (don't know if you did or not...lol!), it was still sweet of you to even think about it! It's the thought that counts... right? ^.^  
  
Hotaru9 - Awww! *huggles Hotaru*  
  
You're such a sweetheart! Too bad you can't review!!! *sniff* *sniff* But that's okay! At least I still know that you like my ficcy!  
  
I didn't really like the ending of the last chappy... I really, really wanted to change it... but I couldn't think of another way... *sigh* But either way, I'm trying to get the next chapter up soon... although it's taking me a heck of a long time... but when I do get it done, I'll be sure to post a notice here! ^.^  
  
p.s. You don't know how much it means to me when I find out people actually like my fics!  
  
Okay, with that done, we shall continue now! Yay!! ^.^ Last chapter... Seifer passed his SeeD exam! YAY!!! GO SEIFER!!! *ahem* anyway, ummm, it SEEMS like Irvine and Selphie are back together now! ^.^ We also found out that Kianne has this 'secret' crush on Zell! Awww!! How cute! Oh! And we also found out that Quistis doesn't exactly LOVE Squall anymore! She probably still likes him... but who knows! (Well, I do, but you don't! MUAHAHA ----- a loser-like author trying to laugh maniacally) Oh, Rinoa no longer hates Quistis, and she and Squall are happily together! Then there's the Galbadian couple, Charles and Elaine, who wants to steal Seifer from Quistis! *someone comes up to whisper something in aznchika's ear* Oh right... haha, silly me. They want to 'borrow' Seifer for a while. OH! And one last thing... as Lovelace said, there's an evil person lurking around! *gasp* What will happen next?!  
  
-- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - --- -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - --  
  
(Saturday)  
  
(Quistis)  
  
I woke up with a major migraine. The sun was shining brightly in my eyes, and my head was pounding like crazy. I couldn't quite remember what happened exactly, but I didn't care at the moment. I closed my eyes. I desperately needed some aspirin.  
  
I rolled to my left to get to my bed stand, in hopes of getting some aspirin, when suddenly I rolled into something that blocked my path.  
  
"What the hell?" I mumbled, getting a bit annoyed. [What could possibly be in my bed?] I thought. I opened my eyes and was surprised to see something that looked like somebody's back. "The hell's this thing doing in my bed?" I asked myself.  
  
I placed my hand on it. It felt warm, but I couldn't think properly. I was about to push it over the bed, when it moved. I quickly pulled my hand away. My eyes widened. I was full of alert. The object moved to rest on its back. Then I saw that it was a person. I wanted to scream.  
  
My heart began beating faster and faster. I was panicking. And what was worse, the person happened to be Seifer. Seifer Almasy. [Oh hyne. Oh hyne! He didn't wake up did he?! Oh hyne. This is terrible!] My heart continued to beat fast. It sounded really loud and I was afraid that my heart beating could even wake him up. [Help hyne. What did I do to deserve this?!] My eyes kept on moving. I would try to focus on something else in the room, but my eyes seemed to always return to Seifer. I would be looking at his face, then down his chest, before I realized I was looking at him.  
  
I shut my eyes. [Oh hyne, please tell me he's not awake... please.] My prayers were answered when he let out a soft snore. Sighing in relief, I opened my eyes again, and slowly, quietly, and carefully got up, still holding the blanket to my chest. Our clothes were all over the floor. I saw my shirt lying nearby, so I tried to pull it close to me using my feet, as I continued to hold the blanket. After a few unsuccessful attempts, I finally realized something. [Okay, okay. No need to panic. He's sleeping, therefore he cannot see you. So just get out of the bed, and grab your clothes and go into the bathroom.] Slowly, I began sliding off the bed, always fearing that he could wake up any minute. [Come on Quistis, you can do this!]  
  
Cautiously, I grabbed my shirt, panties, and pants, and began searching for my bra. [Where the hell could it be?] I was looking under the bed when I heard the bed squeaking slightly. [Oh shit! He's up!] The voice in my mind screamed. [Screw it! Run into the bathroom NOW!] I did as the voice told me to. Unfortunately, because I was so afraid, I slammed the bathroom door. [Oh drat. Now he knows I'm here for sure.]  
  
I dropped my clothes onto the cold tiled floor and began dressing myself, with my back against the door. Even though I had locked the door, I was still afraid that he might suddenly try to come in. After what seemed like an eternity, I finally heard the door to my dorm slide open and close. I continued to stand there, breathing hard. [What was I thinking?] I asked myself. My eyes began to blur and tears slid down my cheek. I didn't know why I was crying, but it just felt right to do so. I slid down the door and hugged my knees.  
  
"Why me?" I sniffed.  
  
* * *  
  
(Seifer)  
  
I woke up when I felt something warm on my back. I was tired and sleepy, and I really didn't want to get up. I rolled onto my back and closed my eyes again, falling asleep again.  
  
I woke up again shortly after when I felt my bed sudden bounce up a bit. I opened one eye, to see what could have possibly done that. Panic rushed past me when I saw a feminine figure moving about as if she was looking for something. I quickly shut my eye. [Shit! This is happening! This just isn't happening!!!] I shouted in my mind.  
  
I opened one eye again to see if I had been dreaming. To my relief, the feminine figure was no longer there. [I really need a girlfriend again.] I thought, realizing that I had just imagined a naked girl in my room. [I wonder who I was thinking of?] I continued to think, now a lot more relaxed, knowing that it never actually happened. [I wonder if that girl was anyone I knew...] I had only see the back of the girl, but she had a fine figure and it got me thinking.  
  
[Must have drank a lot last night to be thinking like this! I hardly ever have such dirty ideas.] I tried to shake the feeling off. [Probably should get up.] I shifted in the bed but stopped suddenly when someone shot up from the foot of the bed and into the washroom, slamming the door loudly. I began breathing really heavily. [Okay. This is just my imagination.] I kept on repeating in my mind. I looked down at my chest. [Okay. Don't panic. Just because your shirt is off doesn't mean anything. You always sleep without your shirt on. This is just your imagination Seifer. Nothing happened.] Slowly, I reached to the blanket lying on my stomach and bravely lifted it up slightly.  
  
I nearly had a heart attack. I carefully dropped the blanket back on my stomach. [Okay... it still doesn't mean anything happened. Just get up and get dressed. Nothing actually happened. You're worrying about something that didn't actually happened.]  
  
I tossed my legs over the side of the bed; still having the blanket covering below my waist, and quickly grabbed my clothes that were scattered on the ground. As I grabbed my pants, a bra was revealed. My eyes widened. [Okay. So maybe you didn't imagine the girl... BUT, that doesn't mean something actually happened.] I quickly pulled on my pants, when I realized I was wearing my SeeD uniform. [Shit! I don't want to wear this!] I paced over to my shirt drawer and pulled it open.  
  
To my surprise, some horribly sick, and perverted person stuffed the drawer full of bras and panties. [What the fukk?! Whoever did this is dead!] Then it clicked it. [Oh SHIT!! This isn't even my room!]  
  
Panicking, I rushed out of the room in horror.  
  
* * *  
  
I was hurriedly rushing to my dorm when I suddenly stopped walking and froze in the middle of the hallway. It was still early in the morning and it seemed like no one else was up at this time. Besides, who would be awake after last night's party? I was staring straight ahead, but I couldn't make out what exactly I was looking at. Why? Because I didn't even care. I was too preoccupied. A lot of things were going on in my head. And the main thing that was clogging up my mind was my cardkey to my dorm. It was in my wallet. And my wallet was back in that room. And to top things off, I didn't even remember which room it was.  
  
I tightened my fist into a ball, closed my eyes and turned my head to face the ceiling. I could not believe how incredibly stupid I was to leave my walled in that room! I was in such a rush to get out, that I completely forgot it, and worse, I didn't know which room I came out of, much less the innocent girl I preyed on last night. [Fukk.] I swore in my head. [How the hell am I going to get into my dorm?! And that stupid card is in my wallet too! Now I can't even pick the lock to my door! And there's no way I'm going to ask Xu to open my dorm. Fukk! What the hell is wrong with me lately?!]  
  
"Morning Seifer! You're up early!" Someone's voice called out to me.  
  
I opened my eyes to see who else would be up so early.  
  
"And how come you're still dressed in your SeeD uniform?" It was Selphie. She gave me a suspicious look. "What were you up to last night?"  
  
I couldn't think properly. Too much going on in my head. It took me a while to finally answer her.  
  
"What else could I be up to?" I smirked.  
  
Her face twisted in disgust.  
  
"You're so nasty Seifer! Nasty and dirty!" She stuck out her tongue at me.  
  
I laughed. "Looks who's talking. I never said anything like that. You only assumed it. For your information, I was only sleeping." It was a partial truth, but I sincerely hoped she bought that.  
  
She raised an eyebrow, as if questioning me in her head. Then I realized how stupid I sounded. The normal Seifer would not have added the 'for your information' comment. I couldn't believe that getting drunk made me so incredibly moronic and slow. I couldn't even think of a remark right away.  
  
"Anyway," Selphie interrupted, letting the topic go, much to my relief. "Matron's been looking for you. I stopped by your dorm last night... but no one answered."  
  
Damn, she got me there. [Think Seifer, think!!] A voice in my head screamed at me. I could practically hear the gears in my head moving, but nothing came out.  
  
"I fell asleep early." I couldn't believe how lame that sounded.  
  
Selphie's mouth formed an 'O' shape. Then she said, "Matron's probably waiting for you in the office." She paused for a moment before adding, "Go change. You look so disheveled." She began heading towards her dorm. "Bye Seifer! See ya later!" She was back to her usual perky mood.  
  
Even after she left, I didn't move. [How am I supposed to get back into my dorm? Maybe if I broke in through the windows... but then, the alarm would go off. Fukk! I am so screwed!] It wasn't until I heard footsteps behind me did I finally move. I spun around to face the intruder. To my surprise, it was Quistis. [What the hell is she doing up so early? Why are so many people up this early?]  
  
"I take it that you can't get into your dorm?"  
  
I froze. [How did she know? Was I that obvious?] This was not good. How the hell did I get into this mess?  
  
"Course not." She continued. "You left this in my room."  
  
She tossed me something black. I caught it and finally realized what it was. It was my wallet. My heart nearly stopped beating. [I was with Quistis last night?! Shit!! This is just not my day!]  
  
I forced a chuckle out. "So there it was. Glad you returned it, otherwise I'd have to stop by your dorm again." I smirked, hoping I sounded like my typical self.  
  
Quistis rolled her eyes. "That had better not happen again." She quickly turned around and began walking back.  
  
My eyes widened. [Again?! What did she mean by that?!]  
  
"I'm glad you enjoyed it that much that you wanna see me again." I shouted back at her. My head seemed to be clearing up, I didn't have to think about that one to say this time.  
  
Quistis was getting further and further away before she stopped. Without looking back, she said, "By the way Seifer, your fly's unzipped." Then she continued on her way.  
  
I looked down. Sure enough, it was unzipped and my boxers were some- what showing. [Fukk, how embarrassing! I hope Selphie didn't notice that.]  
  
* * *  
  
I rapped lightly on the door to Cid's office. Just as I expected, Matron opened the door to greet me.  
  
"Good morning Seifer," Her tone was flat. It sounded as if she was really tired or really worried. That bothered me. Something important must be going on or else Matron wouldn't act like that. "Come on in. take a seat."  
  
I walked in and was surprised to see two unfamiliar couple in the room. A man and a lady. Before I got to my seat, the lady came up to me.  
  
"Oh! You must be Seifer!" She gave me a big smile. Something about her made me feel uneasy, but I couldn't tell what. "I'm Elaine, the headmistress of Galbadia Garden." She held out her hand to me. Her dark blue nails seemed to reflect the light.  
  
She didn't hold out her hand as if for a handshake, it looked more like she wanted me to take her hand and kiss it. I arched an eyebrow. I didn't know what to say. Nor did I know what to do. I wasn't the type to kiss a lady's hand either.  
  
"Seifer," Matron broke in. "Headmaster Charles," She gestured to the man. "And Miss Elaine would like..." She got cut off.  
  
"Would like to know if you would be interested in transferring to Galbadia Garden." Elaine finished off.  
  
"Temporarily." Matron added. "Seifer, you do not have to go, if you don't want to."  
  
"We just need a top SeeD student such as yourself to lead our students." She continued to smile at me before she added. "As Commander."  
  
"If you don't want to transfer, I'm sure another student could go in your place." Matron looked right into my eyes. I could tell she did not want me to go.  
  
"Why do you want me? Why not another student? I just made it to SeeD." I asked.  
  
"Because..." Elaine took a seat and stared right at me. "We want the best of the best leading our school. And I know what you are capable of doing... but I know you're so restrained here in Balamb. Come to Galbadia Garden, because we can provide for you." She grinned.  
  
There was something about her that I really didn't like. Maybe it was the way she kept on smiling at me. It seemed as if she was plotting something or using me, or plotting against me. Or maybe all that wine yesterday still hadn't cleared up yet, and I was still imagining things. [And if that is possible, then maybe I didn't sleep with Quistis after all! Maybe I'm just overreacting, and over-thinking.]  
  
"Seifer, you can take some time to think about this if you need to." Matron interrupted my thoughts.  
  
"Well what do you say?" Elaine seemed to really want me to go to Galbadia.  
  
I turned my head to face the man. He hadn't said a single word yet, nor did it seem like he cared.  
  
"I'll think about it."  
  
* * *  
  
(Afternoon - Quistis)  
  
"... and then we left.' Rinoa finished, her face all red.  
  
The four of us sat here in the Cafeteria, gossiping about last night's party. Well, actually, more like the three of them. I was preoccupied. [Did I sound normal when I gave back his wallet? Oh hyne... I was shaking so much! I can't believe I actually said 'that had better not happen again'. What was I thinking?!]  
  
"Liar!! I know you two were up to something! What else were you two doing?" Selphie accused.  
  
"Nothing!" Rinoa replied, but then began mumbling, "We went into my room."  
  
"Oh my!!" This time it was Kianne who shouted out. "You guys..." She didn't have to finish her sentence because we all knew what she was implying.  
  
Rinoa nodded her head slightly and continued to blush furiously.  
  
[Oh hyne.] It got me thinking of Seifer, and what happened last night. [I couldn't have been that drunk... was I? Just what was going on my head? I sure hope no one else knows about it... that Seifer better not be bragging or saying anything about this... Oh hyne... what if he is?! My whole life will be ruined!] I began breathing heavily. [Oh shit. I hope I'm not acting strange!!] I took a sip from my cup of coffee.  
  
"Was it... fun?" I was surprised to hear that coming from Selphie.  
  
Rinoa nodded again, her head looking down, face completely red. [I wonder... did I have fun? Did Seifer? Or was he too drunk to notice? Probably wasn't his first time either... but it was mine...]  
  
"Well, what about you Selphie? Looks like your back together with a certain someone!" Rinoa winked. Her face was now a lighter shade of red.  
  
[Holy shit!!] The coffee cup slipped from my hands. Coffee splattered everywhere, but mainly on me. Strange thing was that I didn't even feel the scalding hot liquid. [Did I just wonder if I had fun?!] I began panicking. I never ever, ever thought like that before!  
  
"Quistis! Are you alright?!" Rinoa rushed to get some napkins and shoved some at me before wiping the mess on the table. Kianne and Selphie began helping her.  
  
"For your information, my Irvypoo isn't as dirty as your Squall!" Selphie replied as the continued to clean up my mess.  
  
Rinoa began laughing.  
  
"What's so funny? Both Irvine and I are still virgins!"  
  
"So you finally admit it!" Kianne exclaimed, now taking her seat again.  
  
"Admit to what?" Selphie helped me throw out the dirty napkins.  
  
"That you and Irvine are back together!" This time, both Rinoa and Kianne went into a fit of giggles.  
  
"Oh!!" Selphie gave us her little angry/pouty look. "Well, what about you Kianne? I saw you and Zell dancing a whole lot last night! Don't tell me nothing's going on between you two!"  
  
Both girls stopped laughing.  
  
"Well... Kianne began. "He still doesn't know."  
  
Rinoa's eyes widened in shock. "So you really do like him?!"  
  
"Why of course she does! But what do you mean he still doesn't know? How can he not know? It's so obvious!" Selphie exclaimed.  
  
"Are you serious? Is it that obvious?"  
  
"Well, to me it is... but still, how can he not see that you like him?" Selphie asked angrily. "He can be so oblivious sometimes!"  
  
[I better go... I just know they'll pounce on me and what I did last night... and what if Seifer accidentally slips out?! I am so screwed.]  
  
I got up from my seat. "Oh, I just remembered I had some things to do. So I better be heading out." I quickly made my way out of the cafeteria.  
  
"Quistis... are you alright?" I heard Rinoa call out to me.  
  
"I'm fine." I just desperately needed to leave that place. I could not, and would not let them know about Seifer. I just had to pray to hyne that Seifer would keep his big mouth shut and not say anything about what happened.  
  
"Quistis?" Someone had followed me out of the cafeteria.  
  
I spun around. "Selphie? Why aren't you back with Rinoa and Kianne?" Panic rushed past me. [Oh hyne... what if she suspects something?! What if... she knows about Seifer?! Oh shit!]  
  
"Oh... I just wanted to see if you were alright. Something seems to be bothering you Quistis... you know, if you want, you could always come and talk to me." Selphie skipped alongside me.  
  
"Nothing. Nothing's wrong." I shot out quickly. [Oh shit. That came out too fast. Now she'll know something's going on!!]  
  
"Quistis, are you thinking... about a certain someone?" She questioned me.  
  
"No! No! Of course not. Who would I be thinking of?" [Fukk. That came out to fast too. Okay... calm down Quistis. Calm down. Maybe you're just overreacting. Maybe it's just a question, and she doesn't actually know what is going on. You're just overreacting.] I repeated in my head over and over again.  
  
"Oh... okay!" She smiled brightly. "Hey... have you seen Seifer lately? I mean, well, today?"  
  
[Oh hyne. She knows! She knows!! But how the hell did she find out?!] "No... why?" This time it didn't come out sounding weird.  
  
"Oh nothing really. He's just acting a little strange... and I thought that was a little peculiar."  
  
"Hmm... I wouldn't really care Selphie... he's no longer my student." [Okay, that came out calm. Good. Good.]  
  
"Not even a little?" She looked me in the eye.  
  
[Okay... she definitely knows about it!!] "Why would I?"  
  
She didn't say anything for a while. "Hey Quistis... I haven't seen you with a guy for a really, really long time now..." I cut her off.  
  
"I'm happy this way."  
  
"Oh. But hey... I was wondering, what do you think about a blind date?"  
  
"I think those are pointless."  
  
"Oh but Quistis, it would be so much fun! Come on, why don't you give it a chance? I mean, you could meet this really, really, really, great guy! It doesn't hurt to try now does it? Oh please Quistis! Please?" She begged me.  
  
"Selphie, I know your intentions are good... but I really don't think these things would work out." [I already have too much on my hands...]  
  
"Quistis! You wouldn't know if it'd work out or not if you didn't try! And I know this really, really, really great guy! And I'm sure you two would just be so... perfect for each other! You have to give this a try!" She persisted.  
  
"Uh... Selphie..." She cut me off this time.  
  
"You won't regret it! I promise you!"  
  
I stopped walking for a moment. "Fine."  
  
"Great! Okay, how about Friday night at Balamb beach?" She took out a little notebook and began jotting down something in it.  
  
"Sure." I sighed. [Maybe this will stop her badgering...]  
  
"Excellent! Don't forget about it Quistis!" I jumped up with joy and ran off in another direction.  
  
[Such a weird girl.]  
  
* * *  
  
(Selphie)  
  
I jumped with joy after finally getting Quistis to agree with the blind date. [She sure is acting weird though... maybe something's wrong... but I wonder what...] I pondered for a while. I sat on the edge of the fountain in the main foyer, thinking who I could set Quistis up with. [Maybe she's acting weird 'cause we were all talking about our special someone, and Quistis didn't have anyone. Poor, poor Quistis!]  
  
The students were finally waking up and the loud chatter from students came with them. I scanned the area finding someone who would be a perfect match for Quistis. [Hmm, he's okay... but he's too loud for Quistis... Oh! Then there's that guy! He'd be perfect for Quistis! Too bad he's got a girlfriend already.] I was deep in my thoughts, that I didn't notice someone creep up towards me until I was pushed off the side of the fountain.  
  
"Hey!" I shouted angrily.  
  
"Sorry Selphie! Didn't think you weren't paying attention!" Someone helped me up.  
  
I looked at the person angrily and realized that it was Irvine. "Irvy? What was that for?"  
  
"Just seeing what you're up to here." He took a seat beside me. "Are you checking out guys?" He raised an eyebrow at me.  
  
"I'm not like you!"  
  
"Whoa, whoa! I don't check out guys!"  
  
I giggled. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pushed my head to rest on his shoulder. "So what are you up to?"  
  
"I'm trying to find someone for Quistis." I smiled at him.  
  
"Oh? Quistis has a special someone?"  
  
"No, no. I'm trying to find a someone to be special to her." I continued to scan the area. There didn't seem to be any perfect pigeons yet.  
  
"What about him?" Irvine pointed to someone.  
  
I turned my head to follow his direction, but didn't see anyone. "Who?" I turned my head back to face him, but when I did, he leaned in and kissed me on the lips. It felt really nice, but I pulled back. "Hey!! You tricked me!" I pretended to sound mad and looked away.  
  
"I'll trick you again if that's what it takes to get another kiss." He tilted my head to face him again. He looked me right in the eyes. It felt like he was looking into my soul, and capturing me in his gaze. I wanted to look away, but I found myself really attracted to this man. I was slowly leaning in towards him when he grabbed me and pulled me right into him. I rested my head on his chest and just sat there, enjoying the moment together.  
  
"I still need to find someone for Quistis." I whispered to him.  
  
"Well, how about Seifer?"  
  
"Seifer?" I asked. He was probably just naming the person on the top of his head just so I could quickly find someone for Quistis and stop worrying about it.  
  
"Ya, Seifer. They'd be perfect for each other. Quistis would be the only girl who could handle him and Seifer... well, I guess he can tolerate Quistis better than anyone else." He explained.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"You know... when she seems so... distant and cold sometimes? I think Seifer could probably unlock her from that cage." He held me tighter.  
  
"Hmm... maybe you're right... and it wouldn't hurt to try right?" We sat in the position for a short while before I spoke up again. "Irvy... tell me, did you just make that up so I would hurry and get over Quistis and spend more time with you?" I tilted my head upwards to face him.  
  
He laughed. "Damn, you caught me!" He leaned down and kissed me on the forehead.  
  
"Oh, get a room!" Someone shouted loudly, probably directed to us. We couldn't help but laugh.  
  
* * *  
  
(Saturday Night)  
  
[Okay Seifer... where the hell are you?] I thought as I continued running up and down the halls looking for Seifer, but he was nowhere in sight. [Seifer!! Stop hiding!! You're not in your room and you're not in the Training Center... where else could you possibly go?!] As I turned the corner to head outside, I saw Seifer walk through the front gates. He was holding something, and he was all alone.  
  
[What could he possibly be doing?] I thought, while debating whether or not I should approach him.  
  
As I continued to watch Seifer, he opened the thing he held in his hands and looked at it. Then he carefully pulled out what he was looking at. To my surprise, it was a necklace. It was too dark and I couldn't make out exactly how it looked, but I got the gist of the shape of it. [What the hell is Seifer doing with a necklace?] I thought. [Could he possibly... have someone in mind already?]  
  
"Hey Seifer!" I called out, pretending that I hadn't seen him with the necklace. He quickly thrust the necklace and case into his pocket.  
  
"Selphie?"  
  
"What are you doing up so late?" I pretended to act as suspicious as I could. I didn't want him to know that I knew he had a necklace. I had to pretend to be my typical self.  
  
"I could ask you the same question." He stated out flatly.  
  
I laughed. "Good point. So where were you all day? I was looking everywhere for you, but I never found you!"  
  
"I went out to train."  
  
"Ah... I see." [Well... he COULD be telling the truth... after all, he is holding his gunblade... but that doesn't explain the necklace...] "Hey Seifer, I haven't seen you with any girl before..." He cut me off.  
  
"I don't need one." He seemed a little bitter talking about this subject, but I ignored it. I came to talk to him for a specific reason, and I was not leaving until I was done what I had set for.  
  
"Funny... that's what Quistis said too..." I mumbled inaudibly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Oh nothing! You know what I really wanna do? I wanna watch the sunset on Friday..." I tried to hint at him. If he were like Irvine, he would offer to take me.  
  
"Then go watch it."  
  
"But... I don't want to watch it alone." I persisted. There was no way I was going to quit so easily.  
  
"Go with one of your friends."  
  
Something was wrong with Seifer. Maybe something was bothering him... but whatever it was, I didn't like it. He was beginning to sound a lot like how he used to be... and I hated that. I really wanted to ask what was wrong, but I knew if I did, he wouldn't have told me anyway.  
  
"Seifer... I was wondering if you'd go with me..." I paused to let him answer, but when he opened his mouth to speak, I quickly added, "I really, really want you to go with me... please?"  
  
There was a long awkward silence before Seifer replied. "Fine." He sounded really reluctant.  
  
"Thanks Seifer! Friday night, at Balamb beach! Don't forget!" I jumped with joy and headed back to my dorm. [This is going to be perfect!]  
  
* * *  
  
(Friday Night - Seifer)  
  
Too much had been going in my head all week long. The first one being the incident with Quistis. I still wasn't sure if anything happened, but it was undeniable now. The few times I actually saw Quistis this week, and if she saw me, she'd quickly turn around and head in the other direction. She was avoiding me. And it could lead to only one possibility. We had slept together. I couldn't shake that feeling away. The guilt. I couldn't believe I would actually do something like that. It just wasn't me. Sure, people who didn't know me would think I was the type who would just sleep around with any girl... but no. I know better than that. I actually have morals if they would believe it or not. I didn't believe in such things. Sexual intercourse was a sacred thing between two loving couples. Quistis and I? I wouldn't call us a loving couple. But... things could change... only if I had the courage to talk to her...  
  
I stood in the sand on Balamb beach, looking up at the sky. The sun was setting and yet, Selphie still hadn't come yet. I was beginning to wonder if she wasn't going to come at all. What was worse was that my stomach began growling, which only reminded me that I hadn't eaten yet.  
  
"I'm sorry I'm late..." A feminine voice said from behind me. And it definitely didn't sound like Selphie.  
  
I spun around to face the girl and was surprised to see who it was.  
  
"Seifer?" The girl looked puzzled to see me.  
  
"Quistis."  
  
We stood a couple feet away from each other, not moving, but staring at each other. Then Quistis dropped her purse. All the contents in her purse poured out. I reluctantly walked up to her and her stuff and began helping her pick up her things. Lipstick. Mirror. Blush. Brush. All these feminine products. It made me shiver.  
  
"Selphie, you are dead when I get back." I heard her mumbling.  
  
So Selphie had set us up. Why? [Fukk.] I thought as I realized something. [Does Selphie know about what happened between me and Quistis?! Shit. How'd she find out?! Unless...] I looked at Quistis for a brief moment. She was avoiding any eye contact. [Quistis told her...?]  
  
After clearing up the mess, we both stood up, not knowing what to say. Until my stomach growled again.  
  
"You must be hungry. Let's get something to eat." Quistis stated and began walking towards Balamb.  
  
I was about to follow her, but then I noticed something under my foot. I lifted my leg and saw a cardkey underneath. I picked it up and was about to give it back to Quistis, but I decided not to. I pocketed it instead.  
  
"If you really want to walk, then suit yourself. But I have a car." I headed past her and into my car. I sat in the driver's seat for a moment, before Quistis reluctantly climbed into the passenger seat.  
  
The ride to Balamb was awkward and made us both feel uneasy. We didn't say one word to each other. Once we got to Balamb we both headed to the only restaurant. It was more crowded than usual, but we somehow managed to get a table just as we got in.  
  
A waitress headed to our table just as we sat. "Hello! Welcome to Balamb Restaurant. My name's Glory." She smiled brightly to us. "Would you like to know our special we're having today?" Before either one of us could answer, she continued talking. "Our special today is the 'Loveboat'. It's a fantastic meal, and I guarantee that you'll be satisfied with it. Would you like to try it?" She took out a pad and began scribbling something on it.  
  
"No." Quistis stated out flatly. "We'll have separate meals. Just give us the menu."  
  
"Oh! But the 'Loveboat' is really, really good. And it's really cheap too. And a couple such as yourselves shouldn't resist this chance. It could be a once in a lifetime chance to spend such a romantic dinner together. Trust me, the 'Loveboat' is fantastic!" Glory continued.  
  
"I said 'No.' Just give us the menu." Quistis hissed at the waitress.  
  
"Right away!" When she turned her back to Quistis, I saw her expression change to anger.  
  
Just as the waitress left, a man with a camera came up to us.  
  
"Hello sir, ma'am." He smiled at Quistis. "The name's Pierre." He pointed to his nametag on his shirt. "Would you two like a picture? For only 30 gil, you'll get two pictures to remember this wonderful evening!"  
  
"No." Quistis was getting annoyed, even a blind person could tell she was.  
  
"Oh, but nobody has ever said no to Pierre."  
  
"Yes there is. And that person is me." She glared at the man.  
  
He was shocked to see her expression like that, but he decided to leave her be. He began walking away, but as he passed me, he whispered, "I feel sorry for you buddy. Hope you can cheer up your girlfriend."  
  
"Quistis darling, what's wrong? How come you don't want to try the 'Loveboat', or take a picture with me?" I joked.  
  
She rolled her eyes in disgust. "Seifer hunny, I don't think I'll be able to finish it. I'm not that hungry tonight."  
  
"Well baby, I could finish it for you." I wanted to laugh, but I held it in.  
  
Just as I said that, Glory was heading towards us and heard our conversation. "Oh! Then it's settled then! One 'Loveboat' for table 69!" She shouted back to the kitchen.  
  
Quistis' expression changed. It looked as if she was thinking 'Oh great. Now they actually think we're a couple.' "Seifer dear," She hissed out the words at me. "Now they think we're a couple."  
  
"Oh, but muffin, I thought we were." I grinned at her. Maybe this evening wasn't going to be that bad after all.  
  
An older lady sitting behind Quistis turned her head slightly and said, "Darling, you shouldn't be so harsh on your boyfriend."  
  
Quistis' eyes widened. I was laughing out loud in my head, but to Quistis, I just continued to smile. "Didn't you hear the nice lady, you shouldn't be so harsh on me."  
  
"I'm sorry sweetie, I'm just having a bad day." She glared at me. I was beginning to love this evening. "Maybe when we start eating, it would shut that mouth of yours." She mumbled the last part, enough so that I could hear it, but no one around us.  
  
* * *  
  
As Glory had said, dinner was delicious. For the most part, Quistis kept her mouth shut and didn't say anything, but the few times she did say something, she commented on how delicious the food was.  
  
Some of the tables were being cleared out and a few couples went to the middle of the restaurant, waiting for something. Suddenly, music began playing. It was upbeat and kinda romantic. The couples in the middle began dancing and laughing, while other couples from the tables got up to dance.  
  
Quistis was watching the couples with dreamy eyes. Strange thing was, when I looked at her like that, she looked absolutely gorgeous. As if she were a goddess sent down in search of one man, and whoever that man was, he was extremely lucky.  
  
"Darling, shall we?" I held out my hand for her to take.  
  
She just looked at my hand for a while, not knowing what to do. So instead of waiting for her, I just grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the dance floor. I wasn't sure if I was doing this just to make Quistis pissed off, or because I wanted to.  
  
"Seifer! What the heck are you up to?!" She whispered harshly at me. Flinging her hand off from mine.  
  
"Why, dancing with my lovely 'girlfriend' of course." I stretched out the word 'girlfriend' on purpose.  
  
Quistis did something surprising. She smiled mischievously. "Alright then Mr. Knight-in-Shining-Armour, let's dance!" She took my hand and began swaying from side to side.  
  
Suddenly, there was a flash, and Pierre came up to us.  
  
"No one ever says 'no' to Pierre." He said as he handed us two pictures of us. Both were the same picture, and we were dancing really close in the photograph.  
  
Quistis handed him 30 gils and pocketed one of the pictures. "Guess not." She laughed.  
  
* * *  
  
We had been at the restaurant for a long time, when we finally noticed a lot of people were already gone. I was surprised with how well Quistis could dance, and also the fact that she played along with my little 'game'.  
  
"Dear Cinderella, I believe it's past the stroke of midnight. Isn't your lovely dress supposed to turn into tattered rags?" I joked, hoping she'd take the hint that it was time to leave.  
  
"I take it that our 'lovely' ride is going to turn into a pumpkin soon." She laughed and began heading towards the door, still holding onto my hand.  
  
The car ride back to Balamb Garden was short, and wasn't as awkward as going to Balamb. The weird thing about the ride, was that when we got back to the Garden, I actually wished that the ride was longer. We got out of the car and walked through the Parking Lot and into the Garden. We both didn't say a word to each other, but I still walked her to her dorm.  
  
We were walking side by side, and I couldn't stop thinking about how wonderful our night had turned out to be. Instead of making her all pissed off and upset, she actually seemed to have fun. And... so did I.  
  
Her hand hit against mine, and my immediate reaction was to grab her hand. And I did. However, she didn't pull back, she clasped her hand with mine. It seemed really awkward, but it still seemed like the right thing to do.  
  
We were soon at her door, and she let go of my hand. "Thanks Seifer. I hate to admit it, but I actually had fun." The words seemed to stumble out of her mouth.  
  
"Here." I shoved her cardkey at her. "You dropped it before."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
[Okay Seifer... here's your chance. All week you wanted to ask her, and now you have the perfect chance. At least she'll listen to you. Come one Seifer, just get it over with!] My mind screamed at me.  
  
"Quistis." I said, as she opened her door. "About last Friday..."  
  
"Forget about it..." She didn't seem to want to talk about it, but I had to. It was just eating me away if I didn't straighten it out.  
  
"Look Quistis, you may not think that I am, but I'm a really responsible man. I take responsibility for my actions... and last Friday... I'm sorry about it, but I'll accept the consequences..." I just couldn't seem to get out what I was supposed to, I was just going on in circles.  
  
"What are you trying to say?"  
  
"Quistis... I'll marry you."  
  
* * *  
  
(Quistis)  
  
I froze. I didn't know what to say. 'I'll marry you.' Seifer had said that. It wasn't a question... it was more of a statement. My heart began beating faster. It was beating louder too. Did he actually mean it? Or was this another one of his sick little jokes? It sounded like he was being sincere, but I wasn't absolutely sure. Everything was a mess. I couldn't think properly. I was panicking. I was afraid. I was happy. I was angry. [Why, hyne, why me?] I thought. [Why must I suffer like this? Why do I have to go through all this?! How do I answer him? Is he for real?!] I was just too confused. I didn't know how to react.  
  
So, I laughed. A nice, big, hearty laugh. "Seifer, you say it as if you have to suffer."  
  
"Uh... no..." He seemed surprised. It didn't sound like he knew how to react either. I must admit, he must have been really courageous to ask that... that is... if he were for real.  
  
"But even if it were, why would I marry you for something so insignificant as that?" Without letting him say anything else, I spun around and walked into my room, quickly closing the door behind.  
  
I heard his retreating footsteps. I felt terrible. It felt like my heart had been stabbed with a thousand knives... and what was worse, I was the one who stabbed myself. My fist curled into a ball. [Why... why did I do that?! Why...?] I wanted to cry, but I wouldn't let myself. I buried my head in my hands and let out a soft sob. Did I just throw away that opportunity? Did I give him up...? Would he choose another destiny...? Where I wasn't in it?  
  
I threw my purse onto my desk angrily and noticed a small box slide out. I hadn't seen that box before, so I took it in my hands and snapped it open. Inside, there was a beautiful rose necklace. In the middle of the rose, in barely visible letters were three little words. 'I love you'.  
  
I dropped the box on my desk. Seifer must have slipped that in my purse sometime when I wasn't paying attention. My throat became dry. My legs were feeling weak. My arms were getting numb. And tears began welling up in my eyes. My heart felt like it had stopped beating.  
  
Tears flowed out of my eyes freely, soon forming a small puddle on the desk. My legs gave way. I crumbled to the ground, and when I fell down, it felt like my heart had shattered into a million pieces.  
  
I couldn't believe it. He was actually being sincere. He had even considered me. And above all... I had just given him up. My salty tears were beginning to sting my cheeks. I reached up for the necklace and laced around my fingers around it. I still couldn't believe it. Although it was undeniable. Tears continued to flow down my cheeks, each one reminding me how I had let him go.  
  
I gave him up.  
  
* * *  
  
(Matron)  
  
"Seifer?" I called out as I knocked gently on his door.  
  
The door slid open and Seifer stood there to greet me.  
  
"Matron." He smiled weakly at me.  
  
"May I come in?" I asked. He moved aside, so I slipped in.  
  
His room was extremely neat. Just the way he had always liked it. I scanned the room, looking for any bags of any sort. Thankfully I didn't see any. That could be a good sign, or a bad sign. But I wanted to think optimistic.  
  
"Seifer, tomorrow, when you see Miss Elaine and Headmaster Charles, you don't have to go with them." I wanted to convince him to stay. I didn't want him to leave. "I know you may have gone off with the wrong foot with some of the students here... but Seifer, you always have me here. And you know how much I love and care for you... Selphie does too. Please Seifer, you have to think about this really carefully."  
  
"Matron, I know you'll be there for me..." I cut him off.  
  
"Seifer dear, child... I don't want you to make a decision that you'll regret. Seifer... I don't want you to leave me again." I whispered the words to him. I didn't want to lose him without a fight. And I didn't plan to lose that fight either.  
  
"Matron... I've already made my decision..."  
  
- -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - --- -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - --  
  
okay, so I FINALLY have Chapter 6 done!! Woo hoo! Go me! Anyway, I think I told someone this before in the shouts, but I'll repeat it here again... I really, really, really did not like the ending of last chapter... I wish I could have used something else, but I was really, really, really out of ideas, so I had to use that ending. As for this chapter... I really, truly, hope I made at least one or two people teary but Quistis rejected him... (although I doubt it, 'cuz to me, it sounded pretty crappy...) I actually was thinking of being mean and letting the chappy end when Seifer asked her the question... well, more like, statement... but ya, I decided to be a little nicer! ^-^  
  
Well, maybe it was just me, but this chapter seemed incredibly short... and not to mention, it didn't seem... umm... how should I put this... 'good'? I mean, I think my other chapters were written a lot better, and didn't seem all too rushed. Tell me if you think that too, or if I'm just imagining things. Comments, criticism, or just little conversations are ALWAYS welcome! So don't be afraid if your review is long, short, or non- existent --- *sniff* *sniff* hehe Everything's welcome! Even... *sigh* flames if you have any.  
  
Next Update - Unknown. Next Chapter - Chapter 7: Together (I think that was what I named it) 


	7. Together

Author's Note: *Phew* It's been a VERY long time. And I am really, terribly sorry! I know it's my fault! I know it's all my fault! But I really want to thank all of you for supporting me and reviewing and reading my fic! It means so much to me to come back from a rough day of school to be able to read so many wonderful reviews from all of you! Thank you so much! And you should all know that this fic is completely dedicated to all of you because if it weren't for your magnificent reviews, this story would not have existed. Thank you all so much! I luv you all! ^.^  
  
*ahem* So now, on with the usual, I would like to thank all of you!  
  
Starlight4u - You're constant reminders and reviews are so gratifying! You cannot understand how much you have done for me just by reminding me to write this story! And I would also like to thank you for reading my 'Wanted Love, Unwanted Person' fic! That was is really old now, and I don't exactly remember what happened, but when you remember your idea (sorry for the delay once again) please email me it and I'll tell you if you could write a sequel, alrite? I hope everything is going well for you, and that school isn't as bad as it was before, and well, do you really think Quistis loves Seifer? You might have to finish reading this whole fic before you actually find out! Thank you much for the pocky you have shared with me (I love pocky ~.^) and also for the lollipop! But next time you try to bribe me to hurry up and write, I'm expecting some very delicious iced cappuccinos! Oh, and please thank you sister for ummm, listening to my fic? Lol! Thank you so much!  
  
Ghost140 - How can you be so cruel to me? Making me lose so much sleep!! Lol, I'm joking! ^.^ So, as a peace offering, I offer you this stash of many cupcakes that I have baked for you... actually, those cupcakes look really good... hmmm, maybe I shouldn't share them ~.^ Lol. Well, I'm terribly sorry for not updating in such a long time, but either way, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Actually... I'm not too sure about that... hmmm... anyway, thank you so much for your umm 'positive' comments! (I personally do not like fearing for my life when I sleep) Lol.  
  
Verdanii - Hii!! Thanks for reviewing all the chapters! So, in thanks, I finished this chapter! Yay! Hope you enjoy!! ^.^  
  
punkygal - Thank you so much for your praises! You are awesome! And I'm glad you were smiling so much while reading chappy 6! But I'm not sure you'll be smiling as much for this chapter...  
  
Tomato Seed/Onion Seed/Kiwi Seed - I love your names! They were so funny when I read them! Especially the last one! Haha, that was good laugh! ^.^ Thankies for reviewing all my chappies also! It was very nice of you! Especially your comments! ^.^ It's very sweet of you to write so much in a review and tell me what you enjoyed in each chapter! It was very nice of you!! But... to be truthful, I'm not too sure you'll enjoy this chapter as much as the other ones... I personally, don't really like how this chapter turned out... but I shouldn't say anything about this chapter until you read it ~.^ Plus, you get to find out if Seifer accepts or declines the offer!  
  
Starchild1 - Sorry I didn't update soon, but here's chapter 7! Thank you for reading and reviewing! I hope you enjoy this chapter!  
  
frost - Thank you for reviewing! And I'm glad you enjoyed the transition of emotions between characters! I was really afraid that I was going completely out of character and such . But I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!  
  
Quistis88 - Yay! I'm so hapy that you liked the chapter! And yes, I agree, cliffhangers are evil, but the strange thing is... I love writing them! ^.^ I'm so evil sometimes *shame* Lol, well, the update wasn't soon, but here it is!  
  
VegaKeep - Yes the heartbreak, but will it be good? I have no idea, you gotta tell me what you think! As for the important question, all I can say is, you'll have to wait and see! ~.^  
  
Angelic Sorrow - Yay!! If you thought the chappy was sad, then I've done my job! I love it when my readers can feel some of the emotions coming from the chapters... it just makes me so happy! ^.^ As for it Seifer and Quistis get together in the end... who knows? Maybe they don't, maybe they do... to find out, you gotta keep reading! ^.^  
  
chococat2 - Oooh!!! So you know who the 'dark blue nails' thing is? I wanna know!! I wanna know!!! Lol, tell me if you guessed it right! ! ~.^  
  
Firess Ifrit Devil - Although I didn't update it soon... here's chapter 7!! I hope you enjoy this chapter and the rest to come! ^.^  
  
The Twilight Rose - Okay... I should have updated sooner... my house has been flooded by your tears... I'm so sorry!! I really wished I did update sooner! But I hope you enjoy this fic still! ^.^  
  
Okay, so it's time to start Chapter 7 - Together.  
  
Will you enjoy this chapter?  
  
Or will you despise it?  
  
Honestly, I didn't enjoy this chapter too much... It seems awfully terrible compared to all the other chapters... but nonetheless, I believe that the next chapter will be much better. MUCH.  
  
Enjoy!  
  
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*Charles*  
  
We've been here in this dreaded garden for about a week now. This school is unimaginable boring. And to think, this garden has stood its ground longer than my own and Trabia. These dorm rooms seem small and cramped compared to the luxurious ones at my school. Even the furniture, window curtains, bed sheets and blankets seem like crap.  
  
I sighed. [This school is in no ways better than Galbadia. but why do they produce such promising young SeeDs?] Some questions would never be answered. My eyes shifted to Elaine. She sat uncomfortable on the sofa applying a clear later of nail polish on. The room reeked of nail polish smell.  
  
I plopped myself beside her, wrapping an arm around her slender waist. She stopped applying nail polish and looked straight into my eyes, the deadly glare sent a chill down the back of my neck. Quickly, I removed my arms from her.  
  
"Do that again, and I will remove your arm permanently." She went back to painting her nails.  
  
"Oh come on! If we're gonna be a couple, we should act like it too!" I urged, in hopes that she would soften up a little. But my efforts were in vain. She completely ignored me and continued her artwork. "What's so great about this Seifer anyway? Sure, he joined forces with some sorceresses and nearly destroyed the planet a few years ago, but why him? Why not Squall? He stopped Seifer. Or better yet, Rinoa. She's a sorceress you know."  
  
Elaine looked up at me and smiled. It wasn't one of those warm, nice smiles. It was deadly and I could feel daggers coming at my way. Elaine has this aura around her. Seductive she was, but deadly she is. She continued to smile. It wasn't as if she had a wicked grin, but it felt dangerous. All this time I had been with her, I still did not exactly know what she had in mind. I don't know why I didn't ask her what the plot was, I just felt like I couldn't. And I didn't know why I let her do anything she wanted -even using me as a puppet-I just did. I had no explanation to why I followed her around everywhere. I did not know.  
  
"My dear, dear Charlie. Can you not see?"  
  
"See what?" I was dumbfounded. I had no idea what she had meant.  
  
"Why darling, he is the easiest to mold." She paused momentarily. "Com now, it is time." She hooked her arm around mine and led us out.  
  
I didn't understand this woman at all. One minute she's threatening to cut off my arm, the next, she voluntarily wraps around it. But aside from that, I did not understand what she meant by 'easiest to mold'. Mold what? And mold into what? I didn't like the feeling that I had. I knew nothing. But what made me more frustrated was how I couldn't ask. Maybe I was afraid. Afraid of Elaine, or afraid of the answer? I could not tell. There was so much I did not understand.  
  
"Oh my! Someone's an early bird. I like that. Good morning dearest Seifer, did you sleep well?" Elaine and I had just entered Cid's office. Cid, Edea, and Seifer were already waiting for us.  
  
"It's Seifer. Not dearest Seifer. Seifer. Just Seifer." He gave us a disgusted look.  
  
"It'll grow on you within time." She stated, seemingly so sure of his decision. "I presume you bring me good news?"  
  
"Perhaps. Or perhaps not. Depends on which way you want to see it." Seifer replied turning his gaze away from her. Something I could never do.  
  
"Seifer, dear, are you happy with your decision?" Edea placed her delicate hand on him.  
  
Cid was a lucky man to have found such a gorgeous person like Edea. She seems sweet, innocent -okay, so she messed up big time once, but hey, she's sorry and she's trying to make up for it right? -She's beautiful, caring and understanding. Some things Elaine lacks.  
  
"Yes." Seifer replied after a few seconds of silence. "I have decided to..."  
  
* * * *Selphie*  
  
Today was a delightful morning. I had woke up by the lovely song the birds sang. The sun lit my room warmly and Seify hadn't woken me up at night. At least, I thought it was a delightful morning. The reason Seify hadn't woken me up was because he was crying. His soft doggy whimpers made my heart ache. I had no idea what was bothering him. I tried nearly everything to cheer him up. I brought him his favorite toys, a bunch of snacks he loves, and I even brought the chair he occasionally does his business on. But he didn't even move.  
  
"Seify... what's wrong?" I sat down beside him stroking his head. "Can you tell mommy what's wrong?" He still did not move. "Maybe Seifer would know what's wrong with you." Surprisingly, he lifted up his little head and looked at me with his sad, droopy face. "Seifer! Do you miss your daddy?"  
  
Almasy wagged his tail a few times, making a soft thudding sound.  
  
"Alright then! Let's go visit Seifer!" I grabbed my purse and carefully placed Almasy into it. "Well it's still pretty early, I don't think many people are up this early, so you shouldn't have to go into that wretched box! Let's go Seify!" We headed towards Seifer's room. Luckily no one was wandering the halls this early and therefore no one noticed Almasy's head poking out of my bag.  
  
Just as I was about to knock on Seifer's door, it slid open. To my greatest surprise, Matron came out holding a pile of bed sheets and blankets in her arms.  
  
"Matron?"  
  
She looked up at me and gave a weak smile. "Selphie, you do know that pets are not allowed at the garden."  
  
[Oh crap.] I smacked myself lightly on the forehead.  
  
"Don't worry, as long as he keeps quiet and doesn't make a mess I won't tell your headmaster."  
  
"Thank you so much Matron!" I was about to jump and give her a hug, but I soon realized I would have only hugged the stuff she carries. "Matron, what's all that you're carrying?"  
  
"Oh..." Her voice lowered. "Seifer's old stuff..."  
  
"Oh. Is Seifer in his room?"  
  
Matron looked down, it seemed as if she was sad or something was bothering her. "No." She replied after a few seconds of silence. "He left this morning."  
  
"He left this morning?" I repeated. "He never told me he had a SeeD mission... unless I forgot about it. Do you know when he'll be back then?"  
  
"No." Matron looked straight into my eyes. I could tell her eyes were watery. Was... she crying? "He did not leave on a SeeD mission."  
  
I backed up slightly in shock. [No. This couldn't be. Seifer worked so hard to be SeeD! He couldn't have just left like that!!! He couldn't have quit SeeD!! This was all wrong!! Seifer, what the hell is wrong with you?! Why didn't you tell me?! You BASTARD!]  
  
"Seifer... he left... to Galbadia Garden."  
  
Time seemed to have slowed down for me. Her words seemed to stumble out of her mouth. I could almost see the words coming out. My breathing quickened and to my ears they seemed to echo in my head. This could not have happened.  
  
"Left...? To Galbadia?" Disbelief was written all over my face. "Why...? Why?! Why did he leave?!" My voice rising in anger.  
  
"That... he would only know." Matron turned away and headed back to the main foyer.  
  
I couldn't believe it. He had left this morning. And I couldn't even say one last goodbye to him. He left without me knowing. He left without telling me. And he probably left for good. I knew a lot of people didn't accept him here, but still, Seifer was strong, he would never let anything like that chase him away. At least, I didn't think so. But I couldn't think of any other reason Seifer would leave Balamb. Why would he leave Matron? Why would he leave little Almasy? And... why would he leave me? I had only just begun seeing a glimpse of the real him. The little boy inside of him buried under his tough exterior. And now? Now I would probably never see him again. Much less talk to him.  
  
"Seifer... couldn't you have at least told me?" I muttered as a tear slid down my cheek.  
  
I quickly wiped it away and rubbed my eyes. I looked at Almasy who seemed to sense my sadness and smiled brightly at him. "Don't worry Almasy, you'll see your daddy some other time okay?"  
  
Patting his head, I headed back to my dorm. But on my way, I saw Quistis. She wore her usual attire, the peach battle suit with her whip hanging on the side. Her glasses perched upon her nose, straight posture, calm, cool exterior, and the invisible barrier shielding her from all emotions. She looked exactly the way she did couple years back, during the time of the Sorceress War. I disliked it.  
  
"Morning Quisty!" I beamed with joy, attempting to hide any negative feelings all together.  
  
"Good morning Selphie."  
  
Just as I was passing by her, I noticed something new. Something looked a little different about her. Something out of the ordinary. She wore a silver chain necklace. What was written on the necklace I could not make out, but I knew one thing for sure. It was the same necklace I had seen Seifer hiding that night in the foyer. I stopped walking. [Could it be?] I asked myself. I spun around.  
  
"Quistis?" I called out.  
  
She too stopped walking and turned to face me. "Hmm?"  
  
"Where did you get that necklace?"  
  
She looked down and touched it lightly, as if deep in thought. After a brief moment she looked back up. "I found it."  
  
"Where?" I could tell. She knew where it came from. She knew it was from Seifer.  
  
"In my purse last night."  
  
[Last night...?] I tried to think what might have happened. [The date! Of course... Seifer and Quistis were on that date. It must be. It has to be!] My blood seemed to have begun boiling.  
  
"From who?"  
  
"I'm not sure. I found it..."  
  
I cut her off. I couldn't take it anymore. She knew who it was from. She was merely going in circles! "From Seifer. You know it was from Seifer!"  
  
She didn't say a word.  
  
"What did you do to him?!" My voice rising again.  
  
"Excuse me?" She seemed surprised. Of course she was. She didn't know that Seifer left.  
  
"He left Quistis. He left because of you! It was you!!! He's a changed man you know, he's not the same as he was couple years back! Let it go!! Why did you have to do this to him?! I can't believe you." I had begun yelling and tears of frustration welled up in my eyes. I couldn't take it anymore. I had to leave.  
  
I stormed back towards my room wiping the tears away. [I hate you. I hate you both.] Almasy licked my arm as I headed towards the dorms. I looked down at him through the frustrated tears.  
  
"I don't think you'll be seeing your daddy anytime soon."  
  
* * * *Quistis*  
  
I just stood there, appalled and shocked. Words and emotions spilled out from Selphie, but I could not comprehend them all at once. [He left. Seifer left. Left the garden. Why...? Selphie said... it was because of me. Is that true?] I didn't know. I couldn't tell. My breathing slowed quite a bit. I grasped my sleeve and tightened my grip. [This wasn't true. It couldn't be. Seifer would never do something like that because of me. What was I to him anyway? Ex-instructor, ex-tutor, ex-person-on- his-almost-killed-list. I couldn't have possibly had that big of an impact on him. What did I do? Okay, so maybe I rejected his proposal, but he was only trying to make a joke of me... right? I could care less if he left!]  
  
"That's right... I could care less." I mumbled to myself.  
  
[But... if I could care less, why did I wear his necklace?] My grip on my sleeve loosed and reached to clutch the necklace. [No. It's not true!]  
  
I sprinted. I raced towards his dorm. It couldn't possibly be true. Selphie and Seifer were only setting me up on this joke of theirs. It couldn't have been true! Pounding on his door made me realize I had began to develop some sort of awkward feelings to him. I didn't know what had gotten into me. I had never, ever felt like this towards him before. Nor did I ever think I would. [This is all a big joke. Or maybe it's a dream. I don't care about Seifer. He's Seifer. I don't care about anything that deals with him!]  
  
Someone was shuffling in his room. I stopped knocking. It was all a big joke. Seifer was behind the door and he was going to start laughing at my gullibility. [Bastard.] I swore, turning around to head back. I heard the door slide open.  
  
"Yes?" A male voice asked. But it didn't sound at all like Seifer.  
  
I spun around to see who it was. And it wasn't him. It didn't even look like him at all. "I... is Seifer about?"  
  
"Seifer?" He didn't seem to know what I was talking about. "Oh, you must mean the guy who used to live in this room. Oh no, no. Headmaster assigned this room to me now. I'm Thomas by the way, nice to meet you."  
  
I didn't care for his name. Nor did I care for him. Seifer was gone. He had left. And... it was all because of me. I had let him go...  
  
* * * -A few days later-  
  
For the past few days, I had been doing the same routine, nothing ever changing. Get up bright and early, head to the bathroom for my cold morning shower to wake me up from the restless night, get dressed, walk to the dresser, put on the necklace Seifer gave me, think about the night before he left, then head out to help Kianne teach her class. I would act as if nothing was wrong, nothing had happened, and nothing bothered me. Until I came back to my room, I tried not to think about Seifer too much. Once back into my room, I would get ready for bed, and then lie there for most of the night thinking about how harsh I had been to Seifer. It hurt. But of course, no one else knew about it, nor would I tell anyone of it.  
  
With Seifer gone, everything seemed to have quieted down. At least, it seemed to me. Zell no longer bitched about Seifer, Squall and Rinoa seemed to be in their heaven once again, and Irvine didn't seem to care one way or another. Selphie, on the other hand, was a bit different. I hadn't talked to her since she yelled at me. Occasionally I did see her, but she would not say anything to me and continued her business. I didn't say anything to her either. I didn't know what to say. I was afraid to anger her some more. I knew it was my fault too. I just didn't know how to make up for it.  
  
Today, however, was going to be different. So far I had done everything the same up until I started thinking about Seifer while touching the necklace. Today was a Saturday. I did not have to go to class with Kianne. I didn't know where to go.  
  
"Quistis?" A meek voice called from behind my door, while rapping lightly.  
  
I opened the door and was surprised to see Selphie there.  
  
"Selphie?" I wasn't sure if I was dreaming.  
  
"I'm sorry Quistis." She looked down to the ground, afraid to make eye contact with me. "I didn't mean to say all those things I said to you. I was just angry and frustrated. I'm really sorry Quistis. I don't know if you'll forgive me for my actions, but I just needed to let you know that I am really, really sorry. I didn't come talk to you sooner because I was afraid you might get even more angry with me..."  
  
I couldn't let her finish her sentence any longer. I reached out and pulled her into a big hug. She was my friend, a really, really close friend, how could I ever stay mad at her?  
  
"It's not your fault Selphie. I'm really sorry too."  
  
"Thanks Quisty..." She pulled back after a short while and smiled at me. "I really, really do miss him though." Selphie looked down at the ground sadly. "He's a changed man. He's a lot different than he used to be. So much kinder, so much sweeter, and so much more innocent. At least, he was. Maybe he's forgotten about us..."  
  
I gave her another quick hug. "I bet he really misses you too." Actually, somehow, in the depths of my heart, I doubted it. I only said that to make her feel a little better. But, I too, believed he would forget about Balamb Garden. Why would he want to remember this place anyway? The only memorable things here for him would be Matron and possibly Selphie. No one else. He would want to forget about me especially.  
  
"Maybe..." Selphie's voice started cracking. A few tears began sliding down her cheeks. "Almasy misses him a lot too..."  
  
"Almasy?"  
  
"Almasy... Seify... all the same doggy." She wiped her tears and put on a smile for me. "He's the only thing that'll make me feel like Seifer is still here with me."  
  
I gave her a puzzled look. I didn't know what she meant or what she was talking about. Why would a dog... remind her of Seifer?  
  
As if reading my mind, she answered my question. "Seifer gave me Almasy for my birthday." She looked up at me once again and smiled. "But it's not like any of that matters, I highly doubt I'll ever see or talk to Seifer again." She turned around about to head off. "Well, I better get going, I'll see you around Quisty!"  
  
I too turned around and closed my door. Selphie was right. He did seem like a changed man. A man who would repent his sins and take responsibility for his actions. He did not run away after his crime during the Sorceress War. He did not run away from me either. Like everyone else, I turned my back on him. I was the one unable to change. I left him to choose another destiny.  
  
* * * -Two months later-  
  
"I don't know why Quistis! It's just... I don't know if I can take this anymore! He doesn't even notice my feelings for him! I've tried, and tried, but he still does not take the clues! And I can't just tell him straight out! I can't... it's too hard..." Kianne looked up at me through tears of sorrow. "I don't think it's meant to be..."  
  
"Kianne, don't be ridiculous!" I held her hands tightly. "I'm sure he just needs a little encouragement. I bet he's just as afraid as you. Maybe he likes you too! Maybe he's afraid to ask you!"  
  
"Quistis... you and I both know that's not true. We're just not meant to be... I guess." She continued to sob, and continuously wiping the tears away. "But he's like no other person I have ever met before. He is so kind and caring. And I just love his personality and how he acts and... it's just, so adorable to me. He tries to act so manly, but really, he's just a big kid." She laughed slightly. "He's almost like the perfect guy in my mind!"  
  
"Then... why can't you tell him that you have all these feelings for him?"  
  
"I can't Quistis. I just can't..."  
  
"Why not?" I usually wasn't so nosy about other peoples' business, but I was really curious as to why Kianne wouldn't. Kianne showed off this aura to me. She was like one of those girls who would do whatever they felt like without any restraint. She was a tough woman, but here, she portrayed a weak, innocent child.  
  
"I... it's... I..." She struggled to begin, I was about to let go of the subject, but she continued. "I... learned from the hard way that I shouldn't bluntly say my feelings to any guy..."  
  
I didn't understand what she meant. [Why would she be so afraid to show her feelings to Zell?]  
  
"... my first boyfriend... and fiancée were killed shortly after I confessed my feelings to them... I'm afraid if I do this again, someone might get hurt."  
  
"It can't be Kianne. It was just pure coincidence!"  
  
"No... it's not Quistis. I know. I'm bond to this ill-Fate." More tears rushed down from her eyes. "Thank you for being here with me right now. I really appreciate it." She gave me a weak smile.  
  
* * *  
  
I could not sit around and let Kianne mope like that all day. I had to do something about it, and something I would do. Just after Kianne had fell asleep after crying so much, I left her room in search of Zell. If Kianne couldn't tell him, then I would. I could not bear to see her suffer so much for loving someone. I knew exactly how it felt for someone to suffer for love, and I did not want anyone else to have to experience it.  
  
As I had assumed, I found Zell in the Training Centre, brutally murdering some T-Rexuars as usual. Beads of sweat were dripping from his face, and monster gut smeared all over his gloves. As I neared him, he also reeked of monster guts.  
  
"Zell! Do you have a minute?" I called out to him.  
  
He turned to face me and smiled. "Quistis! Wanna train with me? I'm on a roll today! You should have seen how many I've knocked down in the past couple hours! Boo ya!"  
  
"Actually, I was wondering if you could take a break for a few minutes."  
  
"Oh." His excitement evaporated. "This sounds serious." He picked up a bag lying nearby and led me to the Secret Area. He then grabbed a towel out from the bag and wiped his face. "What's wrong?" His voice muffled by the towel.  
  
"Zell, tell me, what do you think of Kianne?"  
  
"Kianne? She's a nice girl. Kinda cute too. Why do you ask?" He stuffed the towel back into the bag and grabbed a water bottle. Untwisting the cap, he drank over three quarters in one gulp.  
  
"What do you see her as?" I asked, staring closely at him.  
  
"Umm... a person?"  
  
"No, no. I mean, as a friend? An acquaintance?"  
  
"Oh, a friend." He dropped the water bottle back into the bag and zipped it up.  
  
"Only?"  
  
"Quistis, what are you trying to get at here?" He looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face.  
  
"Kianne likes you." I stated. Might as well get it over with.  
  
There was an awkward silence as Zell seemed to remain indifferent with the subject and emotionless. I couldn't tell what Zell was thinking nor could I tell how he was feeling. I began to feel unsure of my decision to tell him. Would he take it like a man? Would he act different around Kianne? Was this a bad idea? I was now afraid that I had done more harm to Kianne then helping her.  
  
"I..." He paused briefly. "... already knew that."  
  
Another moment of awkward silence came to us. This time, I was shocked and surprised. All this time I had thought that Zell hadn't known her feelings and that someone had to tell him. But with what he said, it changed everything.  
  
"I just, hoped it wouldn't be true." He continued.  
  
"What... why not?" I was still stunned.  
  
"I don't feel the same for her. She's a really nice girl, but I don't like her that way. I acted as if I didn't know and that I didn't care because I didn't want to ruin our friendship. It would hurt her and our friendship if I told her that." His hand tightened into a fist. "I don't want that to happen!"  
  
"Zell, do you have another girl in mind?"  
  
"Well... no... but..." He couldn't finish. Maybe he didn't know what to say, or maybe he didn't want to finish.  
  
"Then why don't you give her a try? How are you to know for sure that you don't like her at all if you don't try...?" Maybe this lesson here was better off for me...  
  
"And if it doesn't work out? It'll hurt her even more! Not only that, but we might not even be friends anymore." He continued to argue.  
  
"It would set her mind at rest. You don't know what she's going through now because you show absolutely no feelings to her. Either this, or at least, tell her that you don't like her as she likes you. You shouldn't drag it on." [Nor should you make hasty decisions.] My mind told me.  
  
"I... don't know. I need some time to think. I'm gonna go shower. See ya later Quistis." Zell picked up his bag and swung it over his shoulder and jogged out of the Training Centre.  
  
I looked up to the sky and sighed. If only I did not let go... maybe things would have been better. Or perhaps, things were better off this way? I did not know, nor would I ever. I smiled at the clear blue sky. Why was I feeling like this anyway? I did not even love that man to begin with. I cared nothing of him. I don't even know the meaning of 'love', so how can I possibly say that I 'loved' a man I hated all my life? I laughed. The things life does to a person.  
  
* * * *Elaine*  
  
I sat on sofa staring into the pool of water. The water began swirling and soon an image formed. The image of a man. A tall blonde man. He was the key. He is the only one who is able to make my plans succeed. It is him, and only him, that will lead me to my greater destiny. In which, I will be Queen, the all-powerful, the all-knowing. I dare not to dream this anymore, for it is time, that it will become a reality.  
  
"Elaine, my dearest darling. What mischief are you up to now?" A male voice whispered into my ear as his arm snaked down my sides.  
  
Turning around swiftly my hand clasped around his neck, my nails digging into his skin. I smiled sweetly at him. He, of course, was not dumb, hastily removing his arms, I let go of his neck.  
  
"Care to do that again?"  
  
"Elaine, we've been together for so long, why is it that you won't open up to me?" He took a seat beside me.  
  
"Correction. We've NEVER been together. Dare to dream."  
  
Suddenly the door slammed open, we both turned to face the intruder. We were once again not surprised to see Seifer. Charles took advantage of this intruder and wrapped his arm around my waist. I could not do anything to him with Seifer in the room. [Damn that bastard. He will pay.]  
  
"Tell me, why is it that I have done nothing for the past two months I have been here? What are you taking me as?! I'm a SeeD! I should be going out on missions, not babysitting some juniors who are afraid to hold a fukkin' weapon!" Seifer slammed down a broken dagger. "How can they specialize in a certain weapon if they don't even know how to throw it properly?! What kind of garden is this?!"  
  
I only smiled. He was perfect. His attitude, his temper, his strength, his power, his everything, he was the only one fit for what I had in mind. "Seifer dear, calm down." I stood up to pull away from that wretched man's embrace. "In due time you will be sent on a SeeD mission. Right now, we're just trying to get you acquainted to our Garden." I placed one delicate hand on his shoulder, but he only roughly shrugged it off.  
  
"I'm a SeeD, not a babysitter." He stated out angrily.  
  
"Seifer, please, you must try to understand. I can't just send you out for any mission. I need you here in case of a real SeeD mission. You must not be so... feisty." My fingers brushed over his face. He didn't move, but it didn't seem like he cared. I leaned in closer to him and whispered in his ear. "I can't afford to lose you."  
  
Immediately after, behind me was the sound of glass shattering. I whipped my head around and saw Charles hand curled into a fist, his face red with jealousy, and a shattered glass on the floor. Seifer took advantage of the situation and left the room. I merely smiled at Charles.  
  
"Why him?! Why couldn't you have picked someone else? Quistis, Selphie, Rinoa! Why not a girl?!"  
  
"Charlie, my dear. Seifer is the most perfect one to do this. He will no doubt follow orders soon. We must train him. Train him to listen to us. Then Charles, can I finally fulfill my dreams." I smirked. This was too easy.  
  
* * *  
  
Slowly and carefully turning the knob into Seifer's room, I licked my lips gradually. I could taste victory dancing upon my lips. The door creaked open and I slipped in. It was way past midnight, and I was sure Seifer would be sleeping. This would make the perfect time to complete Seifer's 'training session'. I carefully slid onto his bed until I was sitting right next to his sleeping form. My hand moved in the darkness and easily made it's way to his chest. Lightly placing my hand on his chest, I could feel his slow, rhythmic breathing.  
  
"Darkness overwhelm me. Give me his strength." I mumbled to myself drawing my hand away from his chest. Despite the darkness I knew my curse was working. I could feel the invisible red string coming from my palm connecting with his heart. Like so many others before him, this would bound his Fate.  
  
"Who's there?!" The voice beside me suddenly burst out as the lamplight turned on.  
  
The invisible string snapped before it completed its job, causing me to jump back. I managed to land on the ground, but the power flooded into my mind, causing me to lose my vision temporarily. My sight slowly came back to me, but it was still rather blurry. My head felt like it was spinning and I could feel a major migraine closing in fast.  
  
"What the hell are you doing in my room?!" Seifer demanded.  
  
Despite the fact that I could not see properly or think properly, I managed to push myself up from the ground and force out a lie from my mouth. "Oh! Seifer, I'm terribly sorry. I thought you were Charles... I must have came into the wrong room." I used all my strength to force myself out the door, walking normally. Once I stepped outside and closed the door, I could no longer walk properly.  
  
My energy seemed to be flowing out of me as I tried hard to regain my posture. Before long, my legs began to feel weak and seemed to collapse on me. I fell down on one side, but before I landed on the ground, someone had caught me. I looked at the person, but only barely managed to make out who it was. Charles.  
  
"Elaine! Are you alright?"  
  
I could not remember what happened next, because once I regained my vision back, I found myself in my bed, and Charles sitting beside the bed, pouring a glass of water for me.  
  
"Elaine... what happened?" He asked while handing me the cup.  
  
"Seifer... he woke up before I could finish." I remembered, taking a sip of water. "I've never felt so much power shoot back at me before."  
  
"It's okay Elaine. You should rest and regain your strength. You can try again tomorrow."  
  
"I can't. The string isn't strong enough... We'll have to use plan B to 'train' Seifer." I paused and looked Charles straight in the eye. "This will have to do... if I try it again, it could kill him. And I cannot risk that." I looked down at my trembling hands. "My dreams will have to take a little longer to fulfill."  
  
* * * *Rinoa*  
  
I was reading quietly in my room before I was suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door. The knock wasn't loud or rude or anything of that such, it was just that after being so deep into a book and then unexpectedly disturbed was rather very annoying for me. I curled my lips in disgust as I grabbed a bookmark and shoved it into the book. The person knocked again making me even more irritated.  
  
"I'm coming!" I snapped, as I opened the door. All my displeasure vanished as I saw who was knocking. "Oh! Squall!" I was surprised. I wasn't expecting him because he had told me he had some paper work to do.  
  
"Are you busy?" His eyes shifted everywhere except in my gaze. Something was wrong, but I couldn't pinpoint it out yet.  
  
"Oh no, no. I was just reading. I wasn't expecting you to come tonight." I smiled brightly as I moved aside to let him in. "I thought you had some stuff to do."  
  
"I finished early." He took a seat on the sofa in my room, I took a seat right beside him. "How was your day?"  
  
Something was really wrong. Squall did not normally make small chit chat like this with me. Either something was bothering him, or he was keeping something from me... or maybe I was just being a little too paranoid. I glanced at his hands momentarily before speaking. He kept on rubbing his hands and fidgeting ever so slightly. Something had to be wrong.  
  
"Oh, I went to visit Mrs. Dincht and Angelo this morning. I feel so sorry for her, she's getting old now and she always seems to be alone. Squally, we should go visit her more often! I'm just glad Angelo is with her to keep her company. Oh, that reminds me, Mrs. Dincht invited all of us to her place for dinner next weekend. I haven't promised her that we'd come 'cause I wasn't sure if you were busy. So can we go?" As much as I tried to ignore the feeling in my heart that something was wrong, I kept a straight face and managed to sound as normal as possible.  
  
"Sure." He stated, almost like he hadn't even heard a single word I said. Something was distracting him. I wanted to ask, but I was also afraid to ask.  
  
"Oh, you know who else I saw today in Balamb?"  
  
"Who?" His voice still distant, his mind occupied.  
  
"Zell! And you'll never guess who I saw him with... Kianne! But, that's not it! I saw them holding hands!! You know, I think he finally knows that she likes him! And if you ask me, it seems like they're going out now! I'm so happy for them! They are just so cute together!" I looked at Squall straight in the eye. "Don't you think?"  
  
Instead of answering me with words, Squall leaned in and kissed me on the lips. I pulled back quickly in shock before the kiss grew intense. Squall never did anything this un expecting before. It made me scared. Something was definitely wrong.  
  
"Squall, what is wrong? I can tell something about you is really off today. Is there something you want to tell me?" My voice was cracking, I don't know why, but I could feel the tears rushing to my eyes and ready to fall.  
  
There was a moment of silence before he did anything. He got up from the sofa, with my eyes glued on him, and took a step forward. He stopped for a few seconds, which made my heart pound faster and harder every moment. He turned around and stared into my eyes. Squall then went down on one knee, took my hand and kissed it ever so softly.  
  
"Rinoa, you're the most beautiful person I've ever met. You're the only one who has been able to see past my tough exterior. You're the only one I would ever dream about being with. I love you for who you are Rinoa. I love they way your stunning hair dances with the wind, the way your eyes shine like the brightest star in the sky, the way you lips brushes against mine, the way hands always finds a way to wrap around me. I love you Rinoa. You are an angel. The most perfect angel of all. You're too perfect. But... I want more..." He stopped.  
  
My heart also stopped. It stopped beating. Was he going to break up with me? Sentences that begin with 'but' never have a happy ending. My breathing quickened. I could feel my whole body trembling. I had to keep blinking repeatedly from letting the tears fall. I knew it. Something was wrong the moment I saw him. He was planning to break up with me all along. Why did I not see this coming? I should have let him kiss me. I shouldn't have pulled away.  
  
"I want to be the luckiest man forever. Rinoa, will you marry me?" He finished.  
  
I stopped breathing and my heart stopped beating completely. The tears finally flowed from my eyes freely. But these were not tears of despair, these were tears of joy. I nodded my head.  
  
"Of course!"  
  
* * * *Quistis*  
  
Life was dull. Everything was beginning to have to same routine. Day in and day out, I would normally do the same things. Nothing new. Nothing interesting. That was life of Quistis Trepe.  
  
Times like this... made me think a lot. And thinking wasn't the best thing for me. Why? Because I would always think of Seifer. It's been over two months since I last saw or talked to him. As much as I hate to admit it, I missed him. I missed him a lot. And... I wish I hadn't let him go. But... that was the past, and I can't live a life of regrets... so I live a life of memories now. Although I don't really like living this life, I must cope with it. It was Fate. The destiny I have chosen.  
  
I look at the person staring back at me in the mirror. I can tell she hides many things. She's not acting as herself. I know the pain she goes through. The regrets. The truths. The facts of life. This was her choice. No way of denying it.  
  
"Quistis... you have changed. You weren't ever like this. How could you change so much because of one person?" I ask myself. "Quistis. Get a grip. This is life."  
  
Just then, I felt this strange feeling coming from my chest. I've felt it a few times this week already, and every time I do, I get a little dizzy. [Something is wrong with me. I should really go check this out with Dr. Kadowaki.] I blinked a few times before I had to bolt to the toilet. I lifted the seat and threw up. Maybe I'm dying...  
  
* * * *Irvine*  
  
"Irvine... I'm so happy today!" Selphie jumped in the middle of the circle that Seify was making in the sand. "Almasy, you're such a good boy aren't you?" She began petting the dog.  
  
Ever since she had gotten that dog, I was used to this. She'd talk to me one minute, and the next she'd be playing with the dog. But what I didn't get was why she kept calling the dog 'Almasy' after Seifer left. I didn't bother to ask though, I just figured she missed Seifer so much that she renamed her dog. But to me, I still call the dog Seify.  
  
"What happened?" I asked, bending down to pet the dog as well. Today he wore a little purple bow in his tail.  
  
"I was talking to Kianne earlier! She's so happy! And I'm so happy because she's happy!"  
  
I was a little confused. "Why? What happened to Kianne that made her so happy which made you so happy?" I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her down to sit on the sand. Seify ran off to play with the low tide waves.  
  
"Oh! Zell finally asked her out! I'm so happy for her!" Selphie sighed like a love struck person. "Ahhh... they are so cute!"  
  
"What about us? Don't you think we're cute?" I whispered into her ears.  
  
"Ha! You wish!" Selphie laughed as she pushed me away and ran towards Seify. I quickly got up somewhat tackled her down, making us both fall into the water. "Irvy!! You cheated!" She pulled herself away from my embracing arms and splashed water in my face. "Almasy is going to attack you for that! Right Almasy?" The dog merely panted and wagged his tail a few times.  
  
Seify no longer seemed to be the energetic dog he was. I've noticed that for the past few months he has been less and less active. It was as if... he knew Seifer had left and he was sad. Why he would be? I had absolutely no idea. But not only did the dog act different, I've noticed that Selphie had been too. I hadn't told her before because I knew she was still a little upset that Seifer had left. Actually... come to think about it, everyone acted a little different after he left. For the better or for the worse? It was for them to judge. But to me, some were in it for the worse.  
  
Selphie for example, she, like Seify, was a lot less energetic. She no longer had brightness and spark in her eyes. Now it was merely a dim light being forced to shine a little. And because of that, I wasn't as happy as I used to be. Sure, she would try and cover up any sadness with sudden outbursts of 'joy', but I knew, I knew that in the depths of her heart, she was missing Seifer. It made me a little jealous to be truthful. How could one man she hardly knew anything about, make her feel in such a way? There were many times that I wanted to tell her. Tell her how I felt about her being like this, but I knew I couldn't. I knew that if I did, it would only upset her even more.  
  
Much like Selphie, Matron hid a lot of things behind her warm smile. Of all the people Seifer knew, she would have to be the closest person to him. Matron was like a mother to him. She was like a mother to all of us. Even Squall and Rinoa were a little different after he left. Rinoa got a little more mature, and doesn't seem so clingy to Squall in front of us. And Squall, well, he seems happier now yes, but I honestly believe that Seifer being here was an essential part of him. Seifer was the one who kept him on the tips of his toes. He was always ready for anything unexpected, he was always so prepared. But now? He's a lot more laid back. Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe it's not. Having a rival seemed to have drove Squall's life forward, he was striving to be better, be the best, however, now he's laid back... a little too laid back.  
  
Quistis has been acting different too. She's been... going back to being her normal self. Stoic, calm, and all professional-like. It seems like she hardly has time to just hang out with her friends now. That is... if she even counts us as her friends. I know something is wrong with her. I asked her once, but she denied it as I had expected. She doesn't tell any of us anything. But I know something is wrong. And I'm pretty sure it's because of the pain coming from her heart. She probably misses him too.  
  
"Earth to Irvy pumpkins!" Selphie waved her hands in front of my face. "What are you thinking about?" She tilted her head to one side.  
  
"This!" I quickly took advantage and wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her close to me. "And this." I gave her a quick kiss and winked at her.  
  
She paused momentarily, doing absolutely nothing. Then as if a lightning bolt had struck her, she pushed me away once again. "Hey!! You cheated again!"  
  
* * * *Seifer*  
  
Hell had frozen over. Since when did I care about other people? Since when did I think about the past? Since when did I think about the consequences of my actions? That's not the Seifer I knew. That was the attempting-to-be-better Seifer. But he died. He was killed. He was murdered. He was murdered by one, Quistis Trepe.  
  
I was the Seifer Almasy. I am the Seifer Almasy. And I will forever be the Seifer Almasy. I didn't care about how people saw me until I wanted to redeem myself. But that attempt was completely futile. Worthless. Pathetic. Weak. I will never be like that again. People feared me. People hated me. And forever it shall remain this way. Why? Redemption is for the weak. Redemption makes people even weaker. And I am not weak. I am strong. The best of the best. The most feared of all people. I am THE Seifer Almasy. No one is ever going to take that from me again. Not Quistis, not Matron, nobody.  
  
"Seifer?" A female voice called from beside me.  
  
I had been standing in my bathroom with only a towel around my waist after a hot shower. I had been looking at my reflection in the mirror. The person in the mirror looked exactly the way he did a few years ago when he was the most feared, most hated, most dangerous man alive. And today, he will live once again to reign over all that was once 'good'. But of course, there is no such thing as 'good' or 'evil' in this world. It was merely a label of perception. But with power, you can change everybody's perception. I craved that power. That was what I strive to live for now.  
  
I turned to face the intruder and was slightly surprised to see Elaine, but either way, I did not show any surprise. I turned to look in the mirror again.  
  
"I didn't hear you come in." I stated.  
  
"Maybe you were too busy looking at the handsome devil in the mirror." Her tone of voice was quiet but seductive. She moved close to me and looked in the mirror as well. Her hand placed against my face. "So much anger... so much hate... I can feel your pain... Seifer, I know you're suffering. I don't want to see you like this..." She turned to face me. Closing her eyes she leaned even closer to me, whispering in my ear, "I can help you."  
  
Swiftly wrapping my arms around her waist, I dipped her, myself leaning very close to her. She looked surprised at first, but soon a triumphant grin appeared.  
  
"I..." I leaned even closer to her, almost to the point that our lips were touching. "...don't need your help." I pulled her back up and walked out of the bathroom, heading towards my drawers for some clothes. Once I got my clothes, I turned around to head back into the washroom, but Elaine closed in on me, and placed on hand on my chest and pushed me into my drawer.  
  
"I know what troubles you Seifer. I know what it is that you want." Again she leaned close to me, only this time she gave me a short, sweet kiss on the cheek. "I know what it is that you need."  
  
Without letting me say a word, she walked out of my room. But just before she left, she added one more comment. "I can provide for you. I can give you everything you ever wanted. Everything that you need. I can help you."  
  
Just as the door closed behind her, my tough exterior softened slightly. What was wrong with me? Never had I softened up when a girl was trying to seduce me. Never have I nearly broke out. If she had continued her seductive ways, I would have cracked. I would have gave myself up to her. I had never felt this way before. Not even when I had 'proposed' to Quistis. Never. And when her hand was on my chest. It was as if she was tied to me. It felt almost like she was controlling me. I had never felt so weak around a girl before. This was all wrong! She wasn't supposed to be like this! She's engaged to Charles. She's not supposed to be flirting with me. She's not supposed to mess up with my head. I'm a tough guy. I'm cold. Merciless. I'm the Seifer Almasy.  
  
* * * *Quistis* -One Month Later-  
  
"Doctor Kadowaki, has the results come out yet?" I asked as I sat in front of the desk in the Infirmary.  
  
"Quistis, can you tell me how you have been feeling lately?" She sounded concern. Very concerned. Concerned was an understatement.  
  
"Been feeling a bit dizzy lately, I get headaches occasionally, and I'm throwing up a lot more often. At first I thought it was something I ate, but it's been happening a lot lately. And now I'm feeling some stomach pain, so...Doctor, please tell me the truth... I feel like I'm dying..." My hands were getting sweaty, my head seemed lighter, and I couldn't quite think properly. Something was definitely wrong.  
  
"Quistis... I..." She stopped, afraid to continue.  
  
"Just tell me Doctor. Please don't drag this on any longer. I can handle this. I can handle it."  
  
"Quistis... I hate to invade in your privacy, but have you been seeing someone lately?"  
  
I was confused. What did she mean? "I... I don't think I understand what you mean doctor."  
  
"Quistis... you're pregnant."  
  
-- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - --- -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - --  
  
Author's Note: As I had mentioned earlier... I didn't really enjoy this chapter much... it seem so out of place, and everything seems to be thrown in at random times... But what can I say? It's been a long while since I worked on this fic... school has been stressing me out a lot... but either way... this chapter was more like the... "transitional" chapter. Things will start to unravel, and patches will be mended... Stay tuned for the next update,  
  
Chapter 8 - Jealousy 


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